Street-network Sprawl in Mgboo, 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.

Mgboo: city in Enugu, 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 Mgboo, Nigeria on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Mgboo as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 2.94, which is in the 40th to 60th percentile of disconnectedness.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are nan, 2.78, 4.14 and 3.16. Data was not available in 1975.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Mgboo spans a total of 28 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed prior to 1975. These roads have an SNDi of nan, 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 nan, 2.78, 2.93 and 2.94. Data was not available in 1975.

Mgboo and Enugu 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 Enugu peaked in 1976-1990.

How do development practices in Mgboo fare in comparison to others in Enugu? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Mgboo was the 6th-most disconnected out of the 12 cities in Enugu. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Enugu, street construction in Mgboo has become more connected. Mgboo ranked 4th in 1976-1990, 4th in 1991-2000 and 6th in 2001-2014. There was no ranking in 1975 due to unavailable data.

Mgboo 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 Mgboo fare in comparison to others in Nigeria? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Mgboo was the 166th-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 Mgboo has become more connected. Mgboo ranked 122nd in 1976-1990, 82nd in 1991-2000 and 166th in 2001-2014. There was no ranking in 1975 due to unavailable data.

Mgboo and Enugu do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. There was not enough data from the city, while the SNDi of street constructions in Enugu followed a zig-zag trend with an overall increase.

To date, Mgboo is the 4th-most disconnected out of the 12 cities in Enugu. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Enugu, the street network in Mgboo has become more connected. Mgboo ranked 3rd in 1976-1990, 3rd in 1991-2000 and 4th in 2001-2014. There was no ranking in 1975 due to unavailable data.

Mgboo and Nigeria do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. There was not enough data from the city, while the SNDi of street constructions in Nigeria rose steadily.

To date, Mgboo is the 131st-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 Mgboo has become more connected. Mgboo ranked 97th in 1976-1990, 95th in 1991-2000 and 131st in 2001-2014. There was no ranking in 1975 due to unavailable data.

As of 2015, Mgboo had a built-up area of 0.53 square kilometers, and a population of 59856 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: