Street-network Sprawl in Kafanchan, 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.

Kafanchan: city in Kaduna, 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 Kafanchan, Nigeria on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Kafanchan as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 2.67, 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 1.02, 3.0, 3.96 and 2.41. Street construction in Kafanchan 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 Kafanchan spans a total of 205 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed in 2001-2014. These roads have an SNDi of 2.41, which is in the 40th to 60th percentile of disconnectedness.

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 1.02, 2.7, 2.86 and 2.67. The aggregate street network in Kafanchan increased in disconnectivity initially,but the trend has turned around after 2000.

Kafanchan and Kaduna 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 Kafanchan fare in comparison to others in Kaduna? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Kafanchan was the 4th-most disconnected out of the 14 cities in Kaduna. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has risen; relative to other cities in Kaduna, street construction in Kafanchan has become more disconnected. Kafanchan ranked 5th in 1975, 1st in 1976-1990, 2nd in 1991-2000 and 4th in 2001-2014.

Kafanchan 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 Kafanchan fare in comparison to others in Nigeria? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Kafanchan was the 208th-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 Kafanchan has become more connected. Kafanchan ranked 143rd in 1975, 107th in 1976-1990, 94th in 1991-2000 and 208th in 2001-2014.

Kafanchan and Kaduna do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi in Kafanchan peaked in 1991-2000, while the SNDi of street constructions in Kaduna rose steadily.

To date, Kafanchan is the 2nd-most disconnected out of the 14 cities in Kaduna. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has risen; relative to other cities in Kaduna, the street network in Kafanchan has become more disconnected. Kafanchan ranked 5th in 1975, 1st in 1976-1990, 1st in 1991-2000 and 2nd in 2001-2014.

Kafanchan and Nigeria do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi in Kafanchan peaked in 1991-2000, while the SNDi of street constructions in Nigeria rose steadily.

To date, Kafanchan is the 149th-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 Kafanchan has become more connected. Kafanchan ranked 143rd in 1975, 102nd in 1976-1990, 102nd in 1991-2000 and 149th in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Kafanchan had a built-up area of 4.67 square kilometers, and a population of 234795 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: