Street-network Sprawl in Kasba Tadla, 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.

Kasba Tadla: city in Tadla - Azilal, 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 Kasba Tadla, Morocco on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Kasba Tadla as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 1.14, which is relatively well-connected.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are 0.57, 2.15, 1.54 and 1.09. Street construction in Kasba Tadla increased in disconnectivity initially but has since improved. The streets constructed in 1976-1990 were the most disconnected.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Kasba Tadla spans a total of 213 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed in 2001-2014. These roads have an SNDi of 1.09, 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 0.57, 1.17, 1.2 and 1.14. The aggregate street network in Kasba Tadla increased in disconnectivity initially,but the trend has turned around after 2000.

Kasba Tadla and Tadla - Azilal do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi in Kasba Tadla peaked in 1976-1990, while the SNDi of street constructions in Tadla - Azilal peaked in 1991-2000.

How do development practices in Kasba Tadla fare in comparison to others in Tadla - Azilal? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Kasba Tadla was the 4th-most disconnected out of the 4 cities in Tadla - Azilal. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has not changed. Kasba Tadla ranked 4th in 1975, 1st in 1976-1990, 3rd in 1991-2000 and 4th in 2001-2014.

Kasba Tadla and Morocco do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi in Kasba Tadla peaked in 1976-1990, while the SNDi of street constructions in Morocco rose steadily.

How do development practices in Kasba Tadla fare in comparison to others in Morocco? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Kasba Tadla was the 40th-most disconnected out of the 61 cities in Morocco. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has risen; relative to other cities in Morocco, street construction in Kasba Tadla has become more disconnected. Kasba Tadla ranked 46th in 1975, 11th in 1976-1990, 21st in 1991-2000 and 40th in 2001-2014.

Kasba Tadla and Tadla - Azilal follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi for both of these peaked in 1991-2000.

To date, Kasba Tadla is the 4th-most disconnected out of the 4 cities in Tadla - Azilal. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has not changed. Kasba Tadla ranked 4th in 1975, 3rd in 1976-1990, 3rd in 1991-2000 and 4th in 2001-2014.

Kasba Tadla and Morocco do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi in Kasba Tadla peaked in 1991-2000, while the SNDi of street constructions in Morocco rose steadily.

To date, Kasba Tadla is the 33rd-most disconnected out of the 61 cities in Morocco. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has risen; relative to other cities in Morocco, the street network in Kasba Tadla has become more disconnected. Kasba Tadla ranked 46th in 1975, 32nd in 1976-1990, 29th in 1991-2000 and 33rd in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Kasba Tadla had a built-up area of 2.97 square kilometers, and a population of 62260 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: