Street-network Sprawl in Ghayyadah al Gharbiyah, 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.

Ghayyadah al Gharbiyah: city in Bani Suwayf, 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 Ghayyadah al Gharbiyah, Egypt on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Ghayyadah al Gharbiyah as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 0.21, which is very well-connected.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are 0.21, nan, nan and nan. Data was not available in 1976-1990, 1991-2000 and 2001-2014.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Ghayyadah al Gharbiyah spans a total of 60 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed prior to 1975. These roads have an SNDi of 0.21, which is very 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 0.21, 0.21, 0.21 and 0.21. Overall, the SNDi of the aggregate street network has risen: the street network in Ghayyadah al Gharbiyah has become more disconnected.

Ghayyadah al Gharbiyah and Bani Suwayf 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 Bani Suwayf peaked in 1976-1990.

How do development practices in Ghayyadah al Gharbiyah fare in comparison to others in Bani Suwayf? out of the 8 cities in Bani Suwayf. Ghayyadah al Gharbiyah ranked 6th in 1975. There was no ranking in 1976-1990, 1991-2000, and 2001-2014 due to unavailable data.

Ghayyadah al Gharbiyah 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 Ghayyadah al Gharbiyah fare in comparison to others in Egypt? out of the 170 cities in Egypt. Ghayyadah al Gharbiyah ranked 144th in 1975. There was no ranking in 1976-1990, 1991-2000, and 2001-2014 due to unavailable data.

Ghayyadah al Gharbiyah and Bani Suwayf do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi in Ghayyadah al Gharbiyah rose steadily, while the SNDi of street constructions in Bani Suwayf peaked in 1976-1990.

To date, Ghayyadah al Gharbiyah is the 7th-most disconnected out of the 8 cities in Bani Suwayf. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Bani Suwayf, the street network in Ghayyadah al Gharbiyah has become more connected. Ghayyadah al Gharbiyah ranked 6th in 1975, 7th in 1976-1990, 7th in 1991-2000 and 7th in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Ghayyadah al Gharbiyah is the 160th-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 Ghayyadah al Gharbiyah has become more connected. Ghayyadah al Gharbiyah ranked 144th in 1975, 158th in 1976-1990, 158th in 1991-2000 and 160th in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Ghayyadah al Gharbiyah had a built-up area of 2.91 square kilometers, and a population of 83286 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: