Street-network Sprawl in Khemisset, 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.

Khemisset: city in Rabat - Salé - Zemmour - Zaer, 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 Khemisset, Morocco on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Khemisset as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 1.02, which is relatively well-connected.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are 0.72, 0.44, 1.68 and 1.06. Disconnectivity in street construction in Khemisset 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 Khemisset spans a total of 229 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed in 2001-2014. These roads have an SNDi of 1.06, 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 0.72, 0.65, 1.01 and 1.02. The SNDi of the aggregate street network in fell at first, but Khemisset has worsened in disconnectivity since 1990.

Khemisset and Rabat - Salé - Zemmour - Zaer do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi in Khemisset followed a zig-zag trend with an overall increase, while the SNDi of street constructions in Rabat - Salé - Zemmour - Zaer peaked in 1991-2000.

How do development practices in Khemisset fare in comparison to others in Rabat - Salé - Zemmour - Zaer? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Khemisset was the 2nd-most disconnected out of the 4 cities in Rabat - Salé - Zemmour - Zaer. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has not changed. Khemisset ranked 2nd in 1975, 3rd in 1976-1990, 2nd in 1991-2000 and 2nd in 2001-2014.

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

How do development practices in Khemisset fare in comparison to others in Morocco? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Khemisset was the 43rd-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 Khemisset has become more connected. Khemisset ranked 37th in 1975, 50th in 1976-1990, 18th in 1991-2000 and 43rd in 2001-2014.

Khemisset and Rabat - Salé - Zemmour - Zaer do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi in Khemisset was at its lowest in 1976-1990, while the SNDi of street constructions in Rabat - Salé - Zemmour - Zaer rose steadily.

To date, Khemisset is the 2nd-most disconnected out of the 4 cities in Rabat - Salé - Zemmour - Zaer. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has not changed. Khemisset ranked 2nd in 1975, 3rd in 1976-1990, 2nd in 1991-2000 and 2nd in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Khemisset is the 42nd-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 Khemisset has become more connected. Khemisset ranked 37th in 1975, 50th in 1976-1990, 41st in 1991-2000 and 42nd in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Khemisset had a built-up area of 3.98 square kilometers, and a population of 153639 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: