Street-network Sprawl in Naj al Madamud, 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.

Naj al Madamud: city in Al Uqsur, 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 Naj al Madamud, Egypt on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Naj al Madamud as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 3.45, which is highly disconnected.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are 3.31, 3.5, 4.84 and 5.38. In each period, new street development in Naj al Madamud steadily grows more disconnected than in the last.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Naj al Madamud spans a total of 342 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed prior to 1975. These roads have an SNDi of 3.31, 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 3.31, 3.36, 3.38 and 3.45. Overall, the SNDi of the aggregate street network has risen: the street network in Naj al Madamud has become more disconnected.

Naj al Madamud and Al Uqsur do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi in Naj al Madamud rose steadily, while the SNDi of street constructions in Al Uqsur was at its lowest in 1976-1990.

How do development practices in Naj al Madamud fare in comparison to others in Al Uqsur? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Naj al Madamud was the 3rd-most disconnected out of the 6 cities in Al Uqsur. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has risen; relative to other cities in Al Uqsur, street construction in Naj al Madamud has become more disconnected. Naj al Madamud ranked 4th in 1975, 2nd in 1976-1990, 2nd in 1991-2000 and 3rd in 2001-2014.

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

How do development practices in Naj al Madamud fare in comparison to others in Egypt? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Naj al Madamud was the 39th-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 Naj al Madamud has become more disconnected. Naj al Madamud ranked 77th in 1975, 65th in 1976-1990, 25th in 1991-2000 and 39th in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Naj al Madamud is the 3rd-most disconnected out of the 6 cities in Al Uqsur. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has risen; relative to other cities in Al Uqsur, the street network in Naj al Madamud has become more disconnected. Naj al Madamud ranked 4th in 1975, 3rd in 1976-1990, 3rd in 1991-2000 and 3rd in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Naj al Madamud is the 79th-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 Naj al Madamud has become more connected. Naj al Madamud ranked 77th in 1975, 79th in 1976-1990, 79th in 1991-2000 and 79th in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Naj al Madamud had a built-up area of 6.35 square kilometers, and a population of 480397 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: