Street-network Sprawl in Al Hai, Iraq

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.

Al Hai: city in Wasit, Iraq

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 Al Hai, Iraq on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Al Hai as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 1.33, which is relatively well-connected.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are nan, nan, 0.26 and 1.34. Data was not available in 1975 and 1976-1990.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Al Hai spans a total of 148 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed prior to 1975. These roads have an SNDi of nan, which is highly disconnected.

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 nan, nan, 0.26 and 1.33. Data was not available in 1975 and 1976-1990.

Al Hai and Wasit 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 Wasit was at its lowest in 1976-1990.

How do development practices in Al Hai fare in comparison to others in Wasit? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Al Hai was the 5th-most disconnected out of the 5 cities in Wasit. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has not changed. Al Hai ranked 5th in 1991-2000 and 5th in 2001-2014. There was no ranking in 1975 and 1976-1990 due to unavailable data.

Al Hai and Iraq 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 Iraq was at its lowest in 1976-1990.

How do development practices in Al Hai fare in comparison to others in Iraq? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Al Hai was the 56th-most disconnected out of the 75 cities in Iraq. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Iraq, street construction in Al Hai has become more connected. Al Hai ranked 53rd in 1991-2000 and 56th in 2001-2014. There was no ranking in 1975 and 1976-1990 due to unavailable data.

Al Hai and Wasit do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. There was not enough data from the city, while the SNDi of street constructions in Wasit was at its lowest in 1976-1990.

To date, Al Hai is the 5th-most disconnected out of the 5 cities in Wasit. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has not changed. Al Hai ranked 5th in 1991-2000 and 5th in 2001-2014. There was no ranking in 1975 and 1976-1990 due to unavailable data.

Al Hai and Iraq do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. There was not enough data from the city, while the SNDi of street constructions in Iraq was at its lowest in 1976-1990.

To date, Al Hai is the 55th-most disconnected out of the 75 cities in Iraq. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has risen; relative to other cities in Iraq, the street network in Al Hai has become more disconnected. Al Hai ranked 67th in 1991-2000 and 55th in 2001-2014. There was no ranking in 1975 and 1976-1990 due to unavailable data.

As of 2015, Al Hai had a built-up area of 1.0 square kilometers, and a population of 97735 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: