Street-network Sprawl in Waliso, Ethiopia

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.

Waliso: city in Oromia, Ethiopia

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 Waliso, Ethiopia on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Waliso as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 1.1, which is relatively well-connected.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are 0.29, 1.25, 0.88 and 1.22. Disconnectivity in street construction in Waliso follows a zig-zag trend. In 1975, street construction was most disconnected, while construction was most connected in 1976-1990.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Waliso spans a total of 140 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed in 2001-2014. These roads have an SNDi of 1.22, which is relatively 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 0.29, 0.71, 0.76 and 1.1. Overall, the SNDi of the aggregate street network has risen: the street network in Waliso has become more disconnected. This increase has slowed: between 1975 and 1976-1990, SNDi rose by 0.41 points, but between 1991-2000 and 2001-2014, it rose by just 0.35.

Waliso and Oromia do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi in Waliso followed a zig-zag trend with an overall increase, while the SNDi of street constructions in Oromia was at its lowest in 1976-1990.

How do development practices in Waliso fare in comparison to others in Oromia? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Waliso was the 52nd-most disconnected out of the 106 cities in Oromia. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Oromia, street construction in Waliso has become more connected. Waliso ranked 6th in 1975, 9th in 1976-1990, 22nd in 1991-2000 and 52nd in 2001-2014.

Waliso and Ethiopia 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 Waliso fare in comparison to others in Ethiopia? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Waliso was the 120th-most disconnected out of the 252 cities in Ethiopia. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Ethiopia, street construction in Waliso has become more connected. Waliso ranked 17th in 1975, 27th in 1976-1990, 61st in 1991-2000 and 120th in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Waliso is the 62nd-most disconnected out of the 106 cities in Oromia. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Oromia, the street network in Waliso has become more connected. Waliso ranked 6th in 1975, 14th in 1976-1990, 29th in 1991-2000 and 62nd in 2001-2014.

Waliso and Ethiopia do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi in Waliso rose steadily, while the SNDi of street constructions in Ethiopia followed a zig-zag trend with an overall increase.

To date, Waliso is the 137th-most disconnected out of the 252 cities in Ethiopia. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Ethiopia, the street network in Waliso has become more connected. Waliso ranked 17th in 1975, 41st in 1976-1990, 74th in 1991-2000 and 137th in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Waliso had a built-up area of 2.23 square kilometers, and a population of 113601 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: