Street-network Sprawl in Owerre, 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.

Owerre: 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 Owerre, Nigeria on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Owerre as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 0.08, which is very well-connected.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are 3.12, -1.13, nan and nan. Data was not available in 1991-2000 and 2001-2014.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Owerre spans a total of 38 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed in 1976-1990. These roads have an SNDi of -1.13, 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 3.12, -0.3, 0.08 and 0.08. Disconnectivity in Owerre's street network follows a zig-zag trend. In 1976-1990, the city was most disconnected; while it was most connected in 1975.

Owerre and Delta 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 Delta followed a zig-zag trend with an overall increase.

How do development practices in Owerre fare in comparison to others in Delta? out of the 16 cities in Delta. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Delta, street construction in Owerre has become more connected. Owerre ranked 5th in 1975 and 16th in 1976-1990. There was no ranking in 1991-2000 and 2001-2014 due to unavailable data.

Owerre 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 Owerre fare in comparison to others in Nigeria? 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 Owerre has become more connected. Owerre ranked 42nd in 1975 and 360th in 1976-1990. There was no ranking in 1991-2000 and 2001-2014 due to unavailable data.

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

To date, Owerre is the 16th-most disconnected out of the 16 cities in Delta. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Delta, the street network in Owerre has become more connected. Owerre ranked 5th in 1975, 16th in 1976-1990, 16th in 1991-2000 and 16th in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Owerre is the 348th-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 Owerre has become more connected. Owerre ranked 42nd in 1975, 320th in 1976-1990, 302nd in 1991-2000 and 348th in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Owerre had a built-up area of 3.35 square kilometers, and a population of 65997 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: