Street-network Sprawl in Ikot Ide, 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.

Ikot Ide: 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 Ikot Ide, Nigeria on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Ikot Ide as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 0.71, which is relatively well-connected.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are -0.34, -0.18, 2.79 and 1.38. Street construction in Ikot Ide increased in disconnectivity initially but has since improved. The streets constructed in 1991-2000 were the most disconnected.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Ikot Ide spans a total of 33 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed in 2001-2014. These roads have an SNDi of 1.38, 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 -0.34, -0.25, -0.04 and 0.71. Overall, the SNDi of the aggregate street network has risen: the street network in Ikot Ide has become more disconnected.

Ikot Ide and Akwa Ibom follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi for both of these peaked in 1991-2000.

How do development practices in Ikot Ide fare in comparison to others in Akwa Ibom? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Ikot Ide was the 18th-most disconnected out of the 21 cities in Akwa Ibom. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Akwa Ibom, street construction in Ikot Ide has become more connected. Ikot Ide ranked 14th in 1975, 16th in 1976-1990, 6th in 1991-2000 and 18th in 2001-2014.

Ikot Ide and Nigeria follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi for both of these peaked in 1991-2000.

How do development practices in Ikot Ide fare in comparison to others in Nigeria? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Ikot Ide was the 265th-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 Ikot Ide has become more connected. Ikot Ide ranked 217th in 1975, 301st in 1976-1990, 135th in 1991-2000 and 265th in 2001-2014.

Ikot Ide and Akwa Ibom follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi for both of these rose steadily.

To date, Ikot Ide is the 20th-most disconnected out of the 21 cities in Akwa Ibom. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Akwa Ibom, the street network in Ikot Ide has become more connected. Ikot Ide ranked 14th in 1975, 16th in 1976-1990, 16th in 1991-2000 and 20th in 2001-2014.

Ikot Ide and Nigeria follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi for both of these rose steadily.

To date, Ikot Ide is the 299th-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 Ikot Ide has become more connected. Ikot Ide ranked 217th in 1975, 314th in 1976-1990, 316th in 1991-2000 and 299th in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Ikot Ide had a built-up area of 0.03 square kilometers, and a population of 86101 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: