Street-network Sprawl in Socoura, Mali

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.

Socoura: city in Mopti, Mali

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 Socoura, Mali on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Socoura as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is -0.07, which is very well-connected.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are -0.37, -0.24, -0.39 and 0.01. Disconnectivity in street construction in Socoura follows a zig-zag trend. In 1991-2000, street construction was most disconnected, while construction was most connected in 2001-2014.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Socoura spans a total of 79 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed in 2001-2014. These roads have an SNDi of 0.01, which is very 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 -0.37, -0.27, -0.29 and -0.07. Disconnectivity in Socoura's street network follows a zig-zag trend. In 1975, the city was most disconnected; while it was most connected in 2001-2014.

Socoura and Mopti do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi in Socoura followed a zig-zag trend with an overall increase, while the SNDi of street constructions in Mopti peaked in 1976-1990.

How do development practices in Socoura fare in comparison to others in Mopti? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Socoura was the 2nd-most disconnected out of the 2 cities in Mopti. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has not changed. Socoura ranked 2nd in 1975, 1st in 1976-1990, 1st in 1991-2000 and 2nd in 2001-2014.

Socoura and Mali do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi in Socoura followed a zig-zag trend with an overall increase, while the SNDi of street constructions in Mali rose steadily.

How do development practices in Socoura fare in comparison to others in Mali? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Socoura was the 14th-most disconnected out of the 16 cities in Mali. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Mali, street construction in Socoura has become more connected. Socoura ranked 12th in 1975, 14th in 1976-1990, 14th in 1991-2000 and 14th in 2001-2014.

Socoura and Mopti 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 increase.

To date, Socoura is the 2nd-most disconnected out of the 2 cities in Mopti. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has not changed. Socoura ranked 2nd in 1975, 1st in 1976-1990, 1st in 1991-2000 and 2nd in 2001-2014.

Socoura and Mali do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi in Socoura followed a zig-zag trend with an overall increase, while the SNDi of street constructions in Mali rose steadily.

To date, Socoura is the 15th-most disconnected out of the 16 cities in Mali. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Mali, the street network in Socoura has become more connected. Socoura ranked 12th in 1975, 13th in 1976-1990, 14th in 1991-2000 and 15th in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Socoura had a built-up area of 3.37 square kilometers, and a population of 113444 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: