Street-network Sprawl in Berekum, Ghana

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.

Berekum: city in Brong Ahafo, Ghana

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 Berekum, Ghana on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Berekum as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 3.1, which is in the 40th to 60th percentile of disconnectedness.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are 2.49, 1.52, 5.45 and 5.68. The disconnectivity of new streets constructed in Berekum fell, then rose. In 1976-1990, new street layouts were the most connected.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Berekum spans a total of 109 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed prior to 1975. These roads have an SNDi of 2.49, which is in the 40th to 60th percentile of disconnectedness.

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 2.49, 2.4, 2.84 and 3.1. The SNDi of the aggregate street network in fell at first, but Berekum has worsened in disconnectivity since 1990.

Berekum and Brong Ahafo do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi in Berekum was at its lowest in 1976-1990, while the SNDi of street constructions in Brong Ahafo rose steadily.

How do development practices in Berekum fare in comparison to others in Brong Ahafo? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Berekum was the 3rd-most disconnected out of the 9 cities in Brong Ahafo. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has risen; relative to other cities in Brong Ahafo, street construction in Berekum has become more disconnected. Berekum ranked 4th in 1975, 7th in 1976-1990, 1st in 1991-2000 and 3rd in 2001-2014.

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

How do development practices in Berekum fare in comparison to others in Ghana? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Berekum was the 17th-most disconnected out of the 51 cities in Ghana. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has risen; relative to other cities in Ghana, street construction in Berekum has become more disconnected. Berekum ranked 24th in 1975, 33rd in 1976-1990, 13th in 1991-2000 and 17th in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Berekum is the 7th-most disconnected out of the 9 cities in Brong Ahafo. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Brong Ahafo, the street network in Berekum has become more connected. Berekum ranked 4th in 1975, 5th in 1976-1990, 6th in 1991-2000 and 7th in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Berekum is the 31st-most disconnected out of the 51 cities in Ghana. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Ghana, the street network in Berekum has become more connected. Berekum ranked 24th in 1975, 30th in 1976-1990, 27th in 1991-2000 and 31st in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Berekum had a built-up area of 10.47 square kilometers, and a population of 107936 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: