Street-network Sprawl in Mehallet Roh, 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.

Mehallet Roh: 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 Mehallet Roh, Egypt on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Mehallet Roh as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 4.92, which is highly disconnected.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are 4.82, 4.44, 8.59 and 5.83. Disconnectivity in street construction in Mehallet Roh 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 Mehallet Roh spans a total of 192 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed prior to 1975. These roads have an SNDi of 4.82, 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 4.82, 4.72, 4.82 and 4.92. The SNDi of the aggregate street network in fell at first, but Mehallet Roh has worsened in disconnectivity since 1990.

Mehallet Roh and Al Gharbiyah do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi in Mehallet Roh followed a zig-zag trend with an overall increase, while the SNDi of street constructions in Al Gharbiyah followed a zig-zag trend with an overall increase.

How do development practices in Mehallet Roh fare in comparison to others in Al Gharbiyah? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Mehallet Roh was the 4th-most disconnected out of the 12 cities in Al Gharbiyah. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Al Gharbiyah, street construction in Mehallet Roh has become more connected. Mehallet Roh ranked 3rd in 1975, 4th in 1976-1990, 1st in 1991-2000 and 4th in 2001-2014.

Mehallet Roh and Egypt follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi for both of these followed a zig-zag trend with an overall increase.

How do development practices in Mehallet Roh fare in comparison to others in Egypt? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Mehallet Roh was the 29th-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 Mehallet Roh has become more disconnected. Mehallet Roh ranked 38th in 1975, 48th in 1976-1990, 8th in 1991-2000 and 29th in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Mehallet Roh is the 3rd-most disconnected out of the 12 cities in Al Gharbiyah. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has not changed. Mehallet Roh ranked 3rd in 1975, 3rd in 1976-1990, 3rd in 1991-2000 and 3rd in 2001-2014.

Mehallet Roh and Egypt follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi for both of these was at its lowest in 1976-1990.

To date, Mehallet Roh is the 38th-most disconnected out of the 170 cities in Egypt. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has not changed. Mehallet Roh ranked 38th in 1975, 44th in 1976-1990, 40th in 1991-2000 and 38th in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Mehallet Roh had a built-up area of 5.89 square kilometers, and a population of 109112 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: