Street-network Sprawl in Aqaba, Jordan

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.

Aqaba: city in Jordan

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 Aqaba, Jordan on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Aqaba as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 2.56, 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 2.96, 2.09, 3.87 and 2.56. Disconnectivity in street construction in Aqaba follows a zig-zag trend. In 1976-1990, street construction was most disconnected, while construction was most connected in 1991-2000.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Aqaba spans a total of 272 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed in 1976-1990. These roads have an SNDi of 2.09, 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 2.96, 2.51, 2.56 and 2.56. Disconnectivity in Aqaba's street network follows a zig-zag trend. In 1976-1990, the city was most disconnected; while it was most connected in 1975.

Aqaba and Aqaba 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 Aqaba fare in comparison to others in Aqaba? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Aqaba was the 1st-most disconnected out of the 1 cities in Aqaba. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has not changed. Aqaba ranked 1st in 1975, 1st in 1976-1990, 1st in 1991-2000 and 1st in 2001-2014.

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

How do development practices in Aqaba fare in comparison to others in Jordan? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Aqaba was the 9th-most disconnected out of the 9 cities in Jordan. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Jordan, street construction in Aqaba has become more connected. Aqaba ranked 1st in 1975, 5th in 1976-1990, 2nd in 1991-2000 and 9th in 2001-2014.

Aqaba and Aqaba follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi for both of these followed a zig-zag trend with an overall decrease.

To date, Aqaba is the 1st-most disconnected out of the 1 cities in Aqaba. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has not changed. Aqaba ranked 1st in 1975, 1st in 1976-1990, 1st in 1991-2000 and 1st in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Aqaba is the 4th-most disconnected out of the 9 cities in Jordan. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Jordan, the street network in Aqaba has become more connected. Aqaba ranked 1st in 1975, 3rd in 1976-1990, 3rd in 1991-2000 and 4th in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Aqaba had a built-up area of 7.05 square kilometers, and a population of 88421 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: