Street-network Sprawl in Obinomba, 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.

Obinomba: city in Delta, 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 Obinomba, Nigeria on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Obinomba as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 3.64, which is highly disconnected.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are 2.01, 1.91, 4.9 and 5.15. The disconnectivity of new streets constructed in Obinomba fell, then rose. In 1976-1990, new street layouts were the most connected.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Obinomba spans a total of 95 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed in 2001-2014. These roads have an SNDi of 5.15, 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 2.01, 2.01, 2.62 and 3.64. Overall, the SNDi of the aggregate street network has risen: the street network in Obinomba has become more disconnected.

Obinomba and Delta do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi in Obinomba was at its lowest in 1976-1990, while the SNDi of street constructions in Delta followed a zig-zag trend with an overall increase.

How do development practices in Obinomba fare in comparison to others in Delta? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Obinomba was the 8th-most disconnected out of the 16 cities in Delta. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has not changed. Obinomba ranked 8th in 1975, 12th in 1976-1990, 6th in 1991-2000 and 8th in 2001-2014.

Obinomba and Nigeria do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi in Obinomba was at its lowest in 1976-1990, while the SNDi of street constructions in Nigeria peaked in 1991-2000.

How do development practices in Obinomba fare in comparison to others in Nigeria? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Obinomba was the 77th-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 Obinomba has become more disconnected. Obinomba ranked 89th in 1975, 174th in 1976-1990, 54th in 1991-2000 and 77th in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Obinomba is the 7th-most disconnected out of the 16 cities in Delta. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has risen; relative to other cities in Delta, the street network in Obinomba has become more disconnected. Obinomba ranked 8th in 1975, 11th in 1976-1990, 10th in 1991-2000 and 7th in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Obinomba is the 84th-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 Obinomba has become more disconnected. Obinomba ranked 89th in 1975, 153rd in 1976-1990, 121st in 1991-2000 and 84th in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Obinomba had a built-up area of 4.67 square kilometers, and a population of 88450 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: