Street-network Sprawl in Misau, 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.

Misau: city in Bauchi, 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 Misau, Nigeria on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Misau as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 0.2, which is very well-connected.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are 0.19, 0.17, nan and 0.21. Data was not available in 1991-2000.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Misau spans a total of 108 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed in 1976-1990. These roads have an SNDi of 0.17, 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 0.19, 0.17, 0.17 and 0.2. The SNDi of the aggregate street network in fell at first, but Misau has worsened in disconnectivity since 2000.

Misau and Bauchi 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 Bauchi followed a zig-zag trend with an overall decrease.

How do development practices in Misau fare in comparison to others in Bauchi? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Misau was the 8th-most disconnected out of the 14 cities in Bauchi. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Bauchi, street construction in Misau has become more connected. Misau ranked 3rd in 1975, 5th in 1976-1990 and 8th in 2001-2014. There was no ranking in 1991-2000 due to unavailable data.

Misau 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 Misau fare in comparison to others in Nigeria? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Misau was the 335th-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 Misau has become more connected. Misau ranked 197th in 1975, 276th in 1976-1990 and 335th in 2001-2014. There was no ranking in 1991-2000 due to unavailable data.

Misau and Bauchi do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi in Misau was at its lowest in 1991-2000, while the SNDi of street constructions in Bauchi was at its lowest in 1976-1990.

To date, Misau is the 7th-most disconnected out of the 14 cities in Bauchi. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Bauchi, the street network in Misau has become more connected. Misau ranked 3rd in 1975, 5th in 1976-1990, 5th in 1991-2000 and 7th in 2001-2014.

Misau and Nigeria do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi in Misau was at its lowest in 1991-2000, while the SNDi of street constructions in Nigeria rose steadily.

To date, Misau is the 336th-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 Misau has become more connected. Misau ranked 197th in 1975, 284th in 1976-1990, 296th in 1991-2000 and 336th in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Misau had a built-up area of 2.52 square kilometers, and a population of 155188 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: