Street-network Sprawl in Maya Belwa, Nigeria

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.

Maya Belwa: city in Adamawa, Nigeria

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 Maya Belwa, Nigeria on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Maya Belwa as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is -0.0, which is very well-connected.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are -0.53, -0.65, 0.19 and 0.03. Disconnectivity in street construction in Maya Belwa 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 Maya Belwa spans a total of 59 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed in 1991-2000. These roads have an SNDi of 0.19, 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 -0.53, -0.66, -0.01 and -0.0. The SNDi of the aggregate street network in fell at first, but Maya Belwa has worsened in disconnectivity since 1990.

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

How do development practices in Maya Belwa fare in comparison to others in Adamawa? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Maya Belwa was the 15th-most disconnected out of the 17 cities in Adamawa. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Adamawa, street construction in Maya Belwa has become more connected. Maya Belwa ranked 7th in 1975, 12th in 1976-1990, 11th in 1991-2000 and 15th in 2001-2014.

Maya Belwa and Nigeria do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi in Maya Belwa followed a zig-zag trend with an overall increase, while the SNDi of street constructions in Nigeria peaked in 1991-2000.

How do development practices in Maya Belwa fare in comparison to others in Nigeria? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Maya Belwa was the 344th-most disconnected out of the 411 cities in Nigeria. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Nigeria, street construction in Maya Belwa has become more connected. Maya Belwa ranked 225th in 1975, 335th in 1976-1990, 234th in 1991-2000 and 344th in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Maya Belwa is the 14th-most disconnected out of the 17 cities in Adamawa. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Adamawa, the street network in Maya Belwa has become more connected. Maya Belwa ranked 7th in 1975, 12th in 1976-1990, 12th in 1991-2000 and 14th in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Maya Belwa is the 351st-most disconnected out of the 411 cities in Nigeria. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Nigeria, the street network in Maya Belwa has become more connected. Maya Belwa ranked 225th in 1975, 350th in 1976-1990, 312th in 1991-2000 and 351st in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Maya Belwa had a built-up area of 2.08 square kilometers, and a population of 98153 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: