Street-network Sprawl in Souk El Arba Du Gharb, Morocco

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.

Souk El Arba Du Gharb: city in Gharb - Chrarda - Béni Hssen, Morocco

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 Souk El Arba Du Gharb, Morocco on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Souk El Arba Du Gharb as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 2.59, 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 2.79, 3.12, 1.32 and 1.53. Disconnectivity in street construction in Souk El Arba Du Gharb follows a zig-zag trend. In 1991-2000, street construction was most disconnected, while construction was most connected in 1976-1990.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Souk El Arba Du Gharb spans a total of 84 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed prior to 1975. These roads have an SNDi of 2.79, 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 2.79, 2.93, 2.72 and 2.59. The aggregate street network in Souk El Arba Du Gharb increased in disconnectivity initially,but the trend has turned around after 1990.

Souk El Arba Du Gharb and Gharb - Chrarda - Béni Hssen do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi in Souk El Arba Du Gharb followed a zig-zag trend with an overall decrease, while the SNDi of street constructions in Gharb - Chrarda - Béni Hssen peaked in 1976-1990.

How do development practices in Souk El Arba Du Gharb fare in comparison to others in Gharb - Chrarda - Béni Hssen? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Souk El Arba Du Gharb was the 2nd-most disconnected out of the 6 cities in Gharb - Chrarda - Béni Hssen. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Gharb - Chrarda - Béni Hssen, street construction in Souk El Arba Du Gharb has become more connected. Souk El Arba Du Gharb ranked 1st in 1975, 1st in 1976-1990, 2nd in 1991-2000 and 2nd in 2001-2014.

Souk El Arba Du Gharb and Morocco do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi in Souk El Arba Du Gharb followed a zig-zag trend with an overall decrease, while the SNDi of street constructions in Morocco rose steadily.

How do development practices in Souk El Arba Du Gharb fare in comparison to others in Morocco? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Souk El Arba Du Gharb was the 33rd-most disconnected out of the 61 cities in Morocco. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Morocco, street construction in Souk El Arba Du Gharb has become more connected. Souk El Arba Du Gharb ranked 2nd in 1975, 2nd in 1976-1990, 30th in 1991-2000 and 33rd in 2001-2014.

Souk El Arba Du Gharb and Gharb - Chrarda - Béni Hssen follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi for both of these peaked in 1976-1990.

To date, Souk El Arba Du Gharb is the 1st-most disconnected out of the 6 cities in Gharb - Chrarda - Béni Hssen. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has not changed. Souk El Arba Du Gharb ranked 1st in 1975, 1st in 1976-1990, 1st in 1991-2000 and 1st in 2001-2014.

Souk El Arba Du Gharb and Morocco do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi in Souk El Arba Du Gharb peaked in 1976-1990, while the SNDi of street constructions in Morocco rose steadily.

To date, Souk El Arba Du Gharb is the 3rd-most disconnected out of the 61 cities in Morocco. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Morocco, the street network in Souk El Arba Du Gharb has become more connected. Souk El Arba Du Gharb ranked 2nd in 1975, 2nd in 1976-1990, 3rd in 1991-2000 and 3rd in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Souk El Arba Du Gharb had a built-up area of 1.9 square kilometers, and a population of 91072 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: