Street-network Sprawl in Daura, 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.

Daura: city in Katsina, 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 Daura, Nigeria on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Daura as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 0.24, which is very well-connected.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are 0.33, -0.42, -1.11 and 0.71. The disconnectivity of new streets constructed in Daura fell, then rose. In 1991-2000, new street layouts were the most connected.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Daura spans a total of 200 kilometers. The period with the greatest volume of street construction was 2001-2014. These roads have an SNDi of 0.71, which is relatively 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 0.33, -0.06, -0.1 and 0.24. The SNDi of the aggregate street network in fell at first, but Daura has worsened in disconnectivity since 2000.

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

How do development practices in Daura fare in comparison to others in Katsina? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Daura was the 11th-most disconnected out of the 16 cities in Katsina. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Katsina, street construction in Daura has become more connected. Daura ranked 3rd in 1975, 11th in 1976-1990, 8th in 1991-2000 and 11th in 2001-2014.

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

How do development practices in Daura fare in comparison to others in Nigeria? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Daura was the 307th-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 Daura has become more connected. Daura ranked 183rd in 1975, 318th in 1976-1990, 262nd in 1991-2000 and 307th in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Daura is the 11th-most disconnected out of the 16 cities in Katsina. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Katsina, the street network in Daura has become more connected. Daura ranked 3rd in 1975, 10th in 1976-1990, 10th in 1991-2000 and 11th in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Daura is 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, the street network in Daura has become more connected. Daura ranked 183rd in 1975, 299th in 1976-1990, 321st in 1991-2000 and 335th in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Daura had a built-up area of 8.23 square kilometers, and a population of 323524 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: