Street-network Sprawl in Essaouira, 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.

Essaouira: city in Marrakech - Tensift - Al Haouz, 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 Essaouira, Morocco on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Essaouira as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is -0.55, which is very well-connected.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are -0.4, -0.58, nan and -1.38. Data was not available in 1991-2000.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Essaouira spans a total of 102 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed in 1976-1990. These roads have an SNDi of -0.58, 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 -0.4, -0.51, -0.51 and -0.55. Overall, the SNDi of the aggregate street network has fallen: the street network in Essaouira has become more connected.

Essaouira and Marrakech - Tensift - Al Haouz 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 Marrakech - Tensift - Al Haouz followed a zig-zag trend with an overall increase.

How do development practices in Essaouira fare in comparison to others in Marrakech - Tensift - Al Haouz? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Essaouira was the 4th-most disconnected out of the 4 cities in Marrakech - Tensift - Al Haouz. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has not changed. Essaouira ranked 4th in 1975, 4th in 1976-1990 and 4th in 2001-2014. There was no ranking in 1991-2000 due to unavailable data.

Essaouira and Morocco 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 Morocco rose steadily.

How do development practices in Essaouira fare in comparison to others in Morocco? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Essaouira was the 56th-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 Essaouira has become more connected. Essaouira ranked 55th in 1975, 56th in 1976-1990 and 56th in 2001-2014. There was no ranking in 1991-2000 due to unavailable data.

Essaouira and Marrakech - Tensift - Al Haouz do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi in Essaouira fell steadily, while the SNDi of street constructions in Marrakech - Tensift - Al Haouz followed a zig-zag trend with an overall increase.

To date, Essaouira is the 4th-most disconnected out of the 4 cities in Marrakech - Tensift - Al Haouz. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has not changed. Essaouira ranked 4th in 1975, 4th in 1976-1990, 4th in 1991-2000 and 4th in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Essaouira is the 61st-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 Essaouira has become more connected. Essaouira ranked 55th in 1975, 60th in 1976-1990, 60th in 1991-2000 and 61st in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Essaouira had a built-up area of 3.72 square kilometers, and a population of 64583 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: