Street-network Sprawl in Bouaflé, Côte d'Ivoire

What is Street-network sprawl?

Street-network Sprawl is a way to measure urban sprawl, worldwide, through the connectedness of the streets. Less sprawl means more connected, more walkable streets. Well-connected streets – like New York City’s grid – are more walkable and can be served by public transit.

The street network is permanent, and its connectivity affects the livability and environmental footprint of cities for decades and centuries to come. In places with more connected streets, residents drive less and walk more. A well-connected street network is associated with better outcomes for health, the environment, sustainable consumption, social integration, and equity.

We can quantify how connected street networks are with the Street Network Disconnectedness Index (SNDi).

SNDi -- our measure of street-network sprawl (disconnectedness)

The SNDi is a comprehensive measurement of “sprawl”. It captures:

A higher SNDi means less-connected streets – i.e., more sprawl. For the 10137 cities in our dataset, the average SNDi is 2.25, with half of the cities' SNDis falling between 1.08 and 3.25.

More information on the sprawl index can be found in these research papers:

To see the state of street-network sprawl across the globe, visit the sprawlmap.

Bouaflé: city in Sassandra-Marahoué, Côte d'Ivoire

What exactly constitutes the spatial extent of the city? For these aggregations, we used the Global Human Settlement Layer Urban Center Database (GHS-UCDB) to define the boundaries of the city. These cities -- or urban centers -- cover areas that are densely populated and built-up, and so may extend beyond the spatial borders of these cities that we may be familiar with. The GHS area is shaded in blue.

View Bouaflé, Côte d'Ivoire on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Bouaflé as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 1.63, which is relatively well-connected.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are 0.79, 2.67, 3.6 and 3.9. In each period, new street development in Bouaflé steadily grows more disconnected than in the last. This increase has slowed: between 1975 and 1976-1990, SNDi rose by 1.87 points, but between 1991-2000 and 2001-2014, it rose by just 0.3.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Bouaflé spans a total of 144 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed prior to 1975. These roads have an SNDi of 0.79, which is relatively well-connected.

Effect on the aggregate network: New construction in each period adds to the total stock of streets, but does not change streets that have already been built. Therefore, it has a limited effect on the street network as a whole. The SNDis of the aggregate street network in the respective time periods are 0.79, 0.98, 1.31 and 1.63. Overall, the SNDi of the aggregate street network has risen: the street network in Bouaflé has become more disconnected.

Bouaflé and Sassandra-Marahoué do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi in Bouaflé rose steadily, while the SNDi of street constructions in Sassandra-Marahoué followed a zig-zag trend with an overall increase.

How do development practices in Bouaflé fare in comparison to others in Sassandra-Marahoué? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Bouaflé was the 3rd-most disconnected out of the 6 cities in Sassandra-Marahoué. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has not changed. Bouaflé ranked 3rd in 1975, 1st in 1976-1990, 1st in 1991-2000 and 3rd in 2001-2014.

Bouaflé and Côte d'Ivoire follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi for both of these rose steadily.

How do development practices in Bouaflé fare in comparison to others in Côte d'Ivoire? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Bouaflé was the 15th-most disconnected out of the 34 cities in Côte d'Ivoire. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has risen; relative to other cities in Côte d'Ivoire, street construction in Bouaflé has become more disconnected. Bouaflé ranked 20th in 1975, 4th in 1976-1990, 10th in 1991-2000 and 15th in 2001-2014.

Bouaflé and Sassandra-Marahoué follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi for both of these rose steadily.

To date, Bouaflé is the 2nd-most disconnected out of the 6 cities in Sassandra-Marahoué. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has risen; relative to other cities in Sassandra-Marahoué, the street network in Bouaflé has become more disconnected. Bouaflé ranked 3rd in 1975, 5th in 1976-1990, 3rd in 1991-2000 and 2nd in 2001-2014.

Bouaflé and Côte d'Ivoire follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi for both of these rose steadily.

To date, Bouaflé is the 18th-most disconnected out of the 34 cities in Côte d'Ivoire. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has risen; relative to other cities in Côte d'Ivoire, the street network in Bouaflé has become more disconnected. Bouaflé ranked 20th in 1975, 22nd in 1976-1990, 21st in 1991-2000 and 18th in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Bouaflé had a built-up area of 5.05 square kilometers, and a population of 120676 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: