Street-network Sprawl in Mek'elē, 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.

Mek'elē: city in Tigray, 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 Mek'elē, Ethiopia on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Mek'elē as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 0.56, which is relatively well-connected.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are 3.14, -0.39, 1.91 and 0.64. Disconnectivity in street construction in Mek'elē 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 Mek'elē spans a total of 539 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed in 2001-2014. These roads have an SNDi of 0.64, 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 3.14, -0.17, 0.06 and 0.56. The SNDi of the aggregate street network in fell at first, but Mek'elē has worsened in disconnectivity since 1990.

Mek'elē and Tigray 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 Mek'elē fare in comparison to others in Tigray? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Mek'elē was the 10th-most disconnected out of the 15 cities in Tigray. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Tigray, street construction in Mek'elē has become more connected. Mek'elē ranked 2nd in 1975, 7th in 1976-1990, 5th in 1991-2000 and 10th in 2001-2014.

Mek'elē and Ethiopia do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi in Mek'elē followed a zig-zag trend with an overall decrease, while the SNDi of street constructions in Ethiopia followed a zig-zag trend with an overall increase.

How do development practices in Mek'elē fare in comparison to others in Ethiopia? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Mek'elē was the 162nd-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 Mek'elē has become more connected. Mek'elē ranked 4th in 1975, 71st in 1976-1990, 36th in 1991-2000 and 162nd in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Mek'elē is the 11th-most disconnected out of the 15 cities in Tigray. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Tigray, the street network in Mek'elē has become more connected. Mek'elē ranked 2nd in 1975, 9th in 1976-1990, 11th in 1991-2000 and 11th in 2001-2014.

Mek'elē and Ethiopia do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi in Mek'elē was at its lowest in 1976-1990, while the SNDi of street constructions in Ethiopia followed a zig-zag trend with an overall increase.

To date, Mek'elē is the 179th-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 Mek'elē has become more connected. Mek'elē ranked 4th in 1975, 72nd in 1976-1990, 114th in 1991-2000 and 179th in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Mek'elē had a built-up area of 10.68 square kilometers, and a population of 127962 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: