Street-network Sprawl in Oke Atan, 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.

Oke Atan: city in Ondo, 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 Oke Atan, Nigeria on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Oke Atan as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 4.47, which is highly disconnected.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are 4.29, 4.99, 5.32 and 6.68. In each period, new street development in Oke Atan steadily grows more disconnected than in the last.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Oke Atan spans a total of 48 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed prior to 1975. These roads have an SNDi of 4.29, 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 4.29, 4.33, 4.3 and 4.47. Disconnectivity in Oke Atan's street network follows a zig-zag trend. In 1975, the city was most disconnected; while it was most connected in 2001-2014.

Oke Atan and Ondo do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi in Oke Atan rose steadily, while the SNDi of street constructions in Ondo peaked in 1991-2000.

How do development practices in Oke Atan fare in comparison to others in Ondo? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Oke Atan was the 4th-most disconnected out of the 15 cities in Ondo. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Ondo, street construction in Oke Atan has become more connected. Oke Atan ranked 1st in 1975, 2nd in 1976-1990, 6th in 1991-2000 and 4th in 2001-2014.

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

How do development practices in Oke Atan fare in comparison to others in Nigeria? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Oke Atan was the 21st-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 Oke Atan has become more connected. Oke Atan ranked 10th in 1975, 18th in 1976-1990, 40th in 1991-2000 and 21st in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Oke Atan is the 3rd-most disconnected out of the 15 cities in Ondo. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Ondo, the street network in Oke Atan has become more connected. Oke Atan ranked 1st in 1975, 1st in 1976-1990, 2nd in 1991-2000 and 3rd in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Oke Atan is the 42nd-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 Oke Atan has become more connected. Oke Atan ranked 10th in 1975, 26th in 1976-1990, 32nd in 1991-2000 and 42nd in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Oke Atan had a built-up area of 1.19 square kilometers, and a population of 52125 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: