Street-network Sprawl in Geziret Nikla, 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.

Geziret Nikla: city in Al Gharbiyah, 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 Geziret Nikla, Egypt on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Geziret Nikla as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 1.64, which is relatively well-connected.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are 1.19, 0.08, nan and -0.25. Data was not available in 1991-2000.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Geziret Nikla spans a total of 59 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed prior to 1975. These roads have an SNDi of 1.19, 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 1.19, 1.16, 1.88 and 1.64. Disconnectivity in Geziret Nikla's street network follows a zig-zag trend. In 1976-1990, the city was most disconnected; while it was most connected in 1991-2000.

Geziret Nikla and Al Gharbiyah do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. There was not enough data from the city, while the SNDi of street constructions in Al Gharbiyah followed a zig-zag trend with an overall increase.

How do development practices in Geziret Nikla fare in comparison to others in Al Gharbiyah? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Geziret Nikla was the 9th-most disconnected out of the 12 cities in Al Gharbiyah. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has not changed. Geziret Nikla ranked 9th in 1975, 9th in 1976-1990 and 9th in 2001-2014. There was no ranking in 1991-2000 due to unavailable data.

Geziret Nikla and Egypt do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. There was not enough data from the city, while the SNDi of street constructions in Egypt followed a zig-zag trend with an overall increase.

How do development practices in Geziret Nikla fare in comparison to others in Egypt? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Geziret Nikla was the 90th-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 Geziret Nikla has become more disconnected. Geziret Nikla ranked 126th in 1975, 109th in 1976-1990 and 90th in 2001-2014. There was no ranking in 1991-2000 due to unavailable data.

Geziret Nikla and Al Gharbiyah do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi in Geziret Nikla followed a zig-zag trend with an overall increase, while the SNDi of street constructions in Al Gharbiyah rose steadily.

To date, Geziret Nikla is the 9th-most disconnected out of the 12 cities in Al Gharbiyah. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has not changed. Geziret Nikla ranked 9th in 1975, 10th in 1976-1990, 9th in 1991-2000 and 9th in 2001-2014.

Geziret Nikla and Egypt do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi in Geziret Nikla followed a zig-zag trend with an overall increase, while the SNDi of street constructions in Egypt was at its lowest in 1976-1990.

To date, Geziret Nikla is the 133rd-most disconnected out of the 170 cities in Egypt. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Egypt, the street network in Geziret Nikla has become more connected. Geziret Nikla ranked 126th in 1975, 143rd in 1976-1990, 123rd in 1991-2000 and 133rd in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Geziret Nikla had a built-up area of 3.3 square kilometers, and a population of 69985 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: