Street-network Sprawl in Pointe-Noire, Republic of Congo

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.

Pointe-Noire: city in Pointe Noire, Republic of Congo

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 Pointe-Noire, Republic of Congo on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Pointe-Noire as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 2.27, 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 2.05, nan, 4.5 and nan. Data was not available in 1976-1990 and 2001-2014.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Pointe-Noire spans a total of 1231 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed prior to 1975. These roads have an SNDi of 2.05, 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 2.05, 2.05, 2.27 and 2.27. Overall, the SNDi of the aggregate street network has risen: the street network in Pointe-Noire has become more disconnected.

Pointe-Noire and Pointe Noire do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. There was not enough data from the city, as well as the Pointe Noire's street network construction.

How do development practices in Pointe-Noire fare in comparison to others in Pointe Noire? out of the 1 cities in Pointe Noire. Pointe-Noire ranked 1st in 1975 and 1st in 1991-2000. There was no ranking in 1976-1990 and 2001-2014 due to unavailable data.

Pointe-Noire and Republic of Congo 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 Republic of Congo rose steadily.

How do development practices in Pointe-Noire fare in comparison to others in Republic of Congo? out of the 10 cities in Republic of Congo. Pointe-Noire ranked 2nd in 1975 and 1st in 1991-2000. There was no ranking in 1976-1990 and 2001-2014 due to unavailable data.

Pointe-Noire and Pointe Noire do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi in Pointe-Noire rose steadily, while the SNDi of street constructions in Pointe Noire rose steadily.

To date, Pointe-Noire is the 1st-most disconnected out of the 1 cities in Pointe Noire. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has not changed. Pointe-Noire ranked 1st in 1975, 1st in 1976-1990, 1st in 1991-2000 and 1st in 2001-2014.

Pointe-Noire and Republic of Congo do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi in Pointe-Noire rose steadily, while the SNDi of street constructions in Republic of Congo rose steadily.

To date, Pointe-Noire is the 1st-most disconnected out of the 10 cities in Republic of Congo. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has risen; relative to other cities in Republic of Congo, the street network in Pointe-Noire has become more disconnected. Pointe-Noire ranked 2nd in 1975, 1st in 1976-1990, 1st in 1991-2000 and 1st in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Pointe-Noire had a built-up area of 30.07 square kilometers, and a population of 515889 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: