Street-network Sprawl in Shibin Al-Kom, 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.

Shibin Al-Kom: city in Al Minufiyah, 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 Shibin Al-Kom, Egypt on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Shibin Al-Kom as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 5.03, which is highly disconnected.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are 4.78, 5.87, -1.27 and 5.38. Disconnectivity in street construction in Shibin Al-Kom follows a zig-zag trend. In 1991-2000, street construction was most disconnected, while construction was most connected in 1976-1990.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Shibin Al-Kom spans a total of 235 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed prior to 1975. These roads have an SNDi of 4.78, 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 4.78, 5.04, 5.03 and 5.03. The aggregate street network in Shibin Al-Kom increased in disconnectivity initially,but the trend has turned around after 1990.

Shibin Al-Kom and Al Minufiyah 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 Shibin Al-Kom fare in comparison to others in Al Minufiyah? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Shibin Al-Kom was the 6th-most disconnected out of the 12 cities in Al Minufiyah. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has not changed. Shibin Al-Kom ranked 6th in 1975, 5th in 1976-1990, 3rd in 1991-2000 and 6th in 2001-2014.

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

How do development practices in Shibin Al-Kom fare in comparison to others in Egypt? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Shibin Al-Kom was the 40th-most disconnected out of the 170 cities in Egypt. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has not changed. Shibin Al-Kom ranked 40th in 1975, 25th in 1976-1990, 72nd in 1991-2000 and 40th in 2001-2014.

Shibin Al-Kom and Al Minufiyah follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi for both of these peaked in 1976-1990.

To date, Shibin Al-Kom is the 6th-most disconnected out of the 12 cities in Al Minufiyah. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has not changed. Shibin Al-Kom ranked 6th in 1975, 6th in 1976-1990, 6th in 1991-2000 and 6th in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Shibin Al-Kom is the 36th-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 Shibin Al-Kom has become more disconnected. Shibin Al-Kom ranked 40th in 1975, 36th in 1976-1990, 35th in 1991-2000 and 36th in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Shibin Al-Kom had a built-up area of 15.23 square kilometers, and a population of 419347 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: