Street-network Sprawl in Potiskum, 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.

Potiskum: city in Yobe, 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 Potiskum, Nigeria on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Potiskum as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 0.8, which is relatively well-connected.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are 0.53, 0.49, 0.06 and 1.98. The disconnectivity of new streets constructed in Potiskum fell, then rose. In 1991-2000, new street layouts were the most connected.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Potiskum spans a total of 376 kilometers. The period with the greatest volume of street construction was 2001-2014. These roads have an SNDi of 1.98, 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 0.53, 0.5, 0.39 and 0.8. The SNDi of the aggregate street network in fell at first, but Potiskum has worsened in disconnectivity since 2000.

Potiskum and Yobe do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi in Potiskum was at its lowest in 1991-2000, while the SNDi of street constructions in Yobe rose steadily.

How do development practices in Potiskum fare in comparison to others in Yobe? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Potiskum was the 2nd-most disconnected out of the 7 cities in Yobe. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has not changed. Potiskum ranked 2nd in 1975, 3rd in 1976-1990, 5th in 1991-2000 and 2nd in 2001-2014.

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

How do development practices in Potiskum fare in comparison to others in Nigeria? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Potiskum was the 233rd-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 Potiskum has become more connected. Potiskum ranked 175th in 1975, 258th in 1976-1990, 239th in 1991-2000 and 233rd in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Potiskum is the 4th-most disconnected out of the 7 cities in Yobe. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Yobe, the street network in Potiskum has become more connected. Potiskum ranked 2nd in 1975, 3rd in 1976-1990, 3rd in 1991-2000 and 4th in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Potiskum is the 291st-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 Potiskum has become more connected. Potiskum ranked 175th in 1975, 258th in 1976-1990, 283rd in 1991-2000 and 291st in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Potiskum had a built-up area of 17.07 square kilometers, and a population of 343519 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: