Street-network Sprawl in Bilqas, 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.

Bilqas: city in Ad Daqahliyah, 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 Bilqas, Egypt on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Bilqas as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 1.43, which is relatively well-connected.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are 0.57, 1.08, 2.03 and 5.61. In each period, new street development in Bilqas steadily grows more disconnected than in the last.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Bilqas spans a total of 185 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed prior to 1975. These roads have an SNDi of 0.57, 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 0.57, 0.75, 0.92 and 1.43. Overall, the SNDi of the aggregate street network has risen: the street network in Bilqas has become more disconnected.

Bilqas and Ad Daqahliyah 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 Bilqas fare in comparison to others in Ad Daqahliyah? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Bilqas was the 7th-most disconnected out of the 18 cities in Ad Daqahliyah. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has risen; relative to other cities in Ad Daqahliyah, street construction in Bilqas has become more disconnected. Bilqas ranked 12th in 1975, 13th in 1976-1990, 7th in 1991-2000 and 7th in 2001-2014.

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

How do development practices in Bilqas fare in comparison to others in Egypt? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Bilqas was the 32nd-most disconnected out of the 170 cities in Egypt. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has risen; relative to other cities in Egypt, street construction in Bilqas has become more disconnected. Bilqas ranked 140th in 1975, 99th in 1976-1990, 57th in 1991-2000 and 32nd in 2001-2014.

Bilqas and Ad Daqahliyah follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi for both of these rose steadily.

To date, Bilqas is the 14th-most disconnected out of the 18 cities in Ad Daqahliyah. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Ad Daqahliyah, the street network in Bilqas has become more connected. Bilqas ranked 12th in 1975, 14th in 1976-1990, 14th in 1991-2000 and 14th in 2001-2014.

Bilqas and Egypt do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi in Bilqas rose steadily, while the SNDi of street constructions in Egypt was at its lowest in 1976-1990.

To date, Bilqas is the 139th-most disconnected out of the 170 cities in Egypt. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has risen; relative to other cities in Egypt, the street network in Bilqas has become more disconnected. Bilqas ranked 140th in 1975, 149th in 1976-1990, 148th in 1991-2000 and 139th in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Bilqas had a built-up area of 4.67 square kilometers, and a population of 55948 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: