Street-network Sprawl in Egypt


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.

Egypt

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 Egypt on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Egypt as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 3.57, which is highly disconnected.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are 3.56, 3.23, 3.97 and 3.91. Disconnectivity in street construction in Egypt follows a zig-zag trend. In 1976-1990, street construction was most disconnected, while construction was most connected in 1991-2000.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Egypt spans a total of 116116 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed prior to 1975. These roads have an SNDi of 3.56, which is highly disconnected.

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 3.56, 3.45, 3.5 and 3.57. The SNDi of the aggregate street network in fell at first, but Egypt has worsened in disconnectivity since 1990.

The level of street-network sprawl in new development in Egypt followed a zig-zag trend with an overall increase. To get a sense of how street development has changed in Egypt, we can consider three of its most populous regions: Al Jizah, Al Iskandariyah and Suhaj. Out of the three regions, Al Jizah and Al Iskandariyah do not follow the same trend as the country. The level of street-network sprawl in new development in Al Jizah peaked in 1991-2000. The level of street-network sprawl in new development in Al Iskandariyah was at its lowest in 1976-1990.

How do development practices in Egypt fare in comparison to others in the world? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Egypt was the 99th-most disconnected out of the 155 countries in the world. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other countries in the world, street construction in Egypt has become more connected. Egypt ranked 50th in 1975, 78th in 1976-1990, 84th in 1991-2000 and 99th in 2001-2014.

The largest city in Egypt is Cairo, with a population of 19734100 people. Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Cairo as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 2.12, which is relatively well-connected. The level of street-network sprawl in new development in Cairo followed a zig-zag trend with an overall increase.

As of 2014, the city with the most disconnected street network in Egypt is Shimm al Basal al Bahari with an SNDi of 9.23, which is highly disconnected. Conversely, the most connected city is Nazlet Abu Haseiba with an SNDi of -2.65, which is very well-connected. See trends for these cities: Nazlet Abu Haseiba, Shimm al Basal al Bahari

The level of street-network sprawl in the aggregate network in Egypt was at its lowest in 1976-1990. To get a sense of how the aggregate street network has changed in Egypt, we can consider three of its most populous regions: Al Jizah, Al Iskandariyah and Suhaj. Out of the three regions, Al Jizah does not follow the same trend as the country. The level of street-network sprawl in the aggregate network in Al Jizah rose steadily.

To date, Egypt is the 68th-most disconnected out of the 155 countries in the world. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other countries in the world, the street network in Egypt has become more connected. Egypt ranked 50th in 1975, 63rd in 1976-1990, 64th in 1991-2000 and 68th in 2001-2014.

The largest city in Egypt is Cairo, with a population of 19734100 people. Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Cairo as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 2.12, which is relatively well-connected. The level of street-network sprawl in the aggregate network in Cairo rose steadily.