Street-network Sprawl in Mutubis, 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.

Mutubis: city in Kafr ash Shaykh, 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 Mutubis, Egypt on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Mutubis as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 0.89, which is relatively well-connected.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are 2.18, -0.68, 1.29 and 0.22. Disconnectivity in street construction in Mutubis follows a zig-zag trend. In 1976-1990, street construction was most disconnected, while construction was most connected in 1975.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Mutubis spans a total of 29 kilometers. The period with the greatest volume of street construction was 2001-2014. These roads have an SNDi of 0.22, 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 2.18, 1.28, 1.15 and 0.89. Overall, the SNDi of the aggregate street network has fallen: the street network in Mutubis has become more connected.

Mutubis and Kafr ash Shaykh do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi in Mutubis followed a zig-zag trend with an overall decrease, while the SNDi of street constructions in Kafr ash Shaykh rose steadily.

How do development practices in Mutubis fare in comparison to others in Kafr ash Shaykh? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Mutubis was the 6th-most disconnected out of the 7 cities in Kafr ash Shaykh. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Kafr ash Shaykh, street construction in Mutubis has become more connected. Mutubis ranked 3rd in 1975, 7th in 1976-1990, 4th in 1991-2000 and 6th in 2001-2014.

Mutubis 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 decrease.

How do development practices in Mutubis fare in comparison to others in Egypt? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Mutubis was the 86th-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 Mutubis has become more disconnected. Mutubis ranked 100th in 1975, 113th in 1976-1990, 62nd in 1991-2000 and 86th in 2001-2014.

Mutubis and Kafr ash Shaykh do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi in Mutubis fell steadily, while the SNDi of street constructions in Kafr ash Shaykh rose steadily.

To date, Mutubis is the 6th-most disconnected out of the 7 cities in Kafr ash Shaykh. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Kafr ash Shaykh, the street network in Mutubis has become more connected. Mutubis ranked 3rd in 1975, 5th in 1976-1990, 5th in 1991-2000 and 6th in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Mutubis is the 150th-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 Mutubis has become more connected. Mutubis ranked 100th in 1975, 136th in 1976-1990, 144th in 1991-2000 and 150th in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Mutubis had a built-up area of 1.99 square kilometers, and a population of 52059 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: