Street-network Sprawl in Maroantsetra, Madagascar

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.

Maroantsetra: city in Toamasina, Madagascar

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 Maroantsetra, Madagascar on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Maroantsetra as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 2.51, 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 2.6, nan, 1.72 and nan. Data was not available in 1976-1990 and 2001-2014.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Maroantsetra spans a total of 40 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed prior to 1975. These roads have an SNDi of 2.6, 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 2.6, 2.6, 2.51 and 2.51. Overall, the SNDi of the aggregate street network has fallen: the street network in Maroantsetra has become more connected.

Maroantsetra and Toamasina 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 Toamasina was at its lowest in 1976-1990.

How do development practices in Maroantsetra fare in comparison to others in Toamasina? out of the 1 cities in Toamasina. Maroantsetra ranked 1st in 1975 and 1st in 1991-2000. There was no ranking in 1976-1990 and 2001-2014 due to unavailable data.

Maroantsetra and Madagascar 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 Madagascar followed a zig-zag trend with an overall increase.

How do development practices in Maroantsetra fare in comparison to others in Madagascar? out of the 12 cities in Madagascar. Maroantsetra ranked 2nd in 1975 and 6th in 1991-2000. There was no ranking in 1976-1990 and 2001-2014 due to unavailable data.

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

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

Maroantsetra and Madagascar do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi in Maroantsetra fell steadily, while the SNDi of street constructions in Madagascar rose steadily.

To date, Maroantsetra is the 4th-most disconnected out of the 12 cities in Madagascar. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Madagascar, the street network in Maroantsetra has become more connected. Maroantsetra ranked 2nd in 1975, 3rd in 1976-1990, 4th in 1991-2000 and 4th in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Maroantsetra had a built-up area of 0.83 square kilometers, and a population of 53493 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: