Street-network Sprawl in Ediene, 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.

Ediene: city in Akwa Ibom, 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 Ediene, Nigeria on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Ediene as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 4.59, which is highly disconnected.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are 2.2, 4.03, nan and 5.12. Data was not available in 1991-2000.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Ediene spans a total of 128 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed in 2001-2014. These roads have an SNDi of 5.12, which is highly disconnected.

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 2.2, 3.38, 3.36 and 4.59. Disconnectivity in Ediene's street network follows a zig-zag trend. In 1975, the city was most disconnected; while it was most connected in 2001-2014.

Ediene and Akwa Ibom 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 Akwa Ibom peaked in 1991-2000.

How do development practices in Ediene fare in comparison to others in Akwa Ibom? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Ediene was the 5th-most disconnected out of the 21 cities in Akwa Ibom. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has risen; relative to other cities in Akwa Ibom, street construction in Ediene has become more disconnected. Ediene ranked 5th in 1975, 4th in 1976-1990 and 5th in 2001-2014. There was no ranking in 1991-2000 due to unavailable data.

Ediene and Nigeria 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 Nigeria peaked in 1991-2000.

How do development practices in Ediene fare in comparison to others in Nigeria? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Ediene was the 78th-most disconnected out of the 411 cities in Nigeria. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has risen; relative to other cities in Nigeria, street construction in Ediene has become more disconnected. Ediene ranked 77th in 1975, 55th in 1976-1990 and 78th in 2001-2014. There was no ranking in 1991-2000 due to unavailable data.

Ediene and Akwa Ibom do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi in Ediene followed a zig-zag trend with an overall increase, while the SNDi of street constructions in Akwa Ibom rose steadily.

To date, Ediene is the 3rd-most disconnected out of the 21 cities in Akwa Ibom. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has risen; relative to other cities in Akwa Ibom, the street network in Ediene has become more disconnected. Ediene ranked 5th in 1975, 2nd in 1976-1990, 2nd in 1991-2000 and 3rd in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Ediene is the 34th-most disconnected out of the 411 cities in Nigeria. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has risen; relative to other cities in Nigeria, the street network in Ediene has become more disconnected. Ediene ranked 77th in 1975, 56th in 1976-1990, 66th in 1991-2000 and 34th in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Ediene had a built-up area of 1.0 square kilometers, and a population of 153950 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: