Street-network Sprawl in Jubail, Saudi Arabia

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.

Jubail: city in Ash Sharqiyah, Saudi Arabia

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 Jubail, Saudi Arabia on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Jubail as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 1.3, which is relatively well-connected.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are 0.84, 1.28, 3.35 and 2.27. Street construction in Jubail 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 Jubail spans a total of 367 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed in 1976-1990. These roads have an SNDi of 1.28, 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 0.84, 1.17, 1.23 and 1.3. Overall, the SNDi of the aggregate street network has risen: the street network in Jubail has become more disconnected. This increase has slowed: between 1975 and 1976-1990, SNDi rose by 0.32 points, but between 1991-2000 and 2001-2014, it rose by just 0.07.

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

How do development practices in Jubail fare in comparison to others in Ash Sharqiyah? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Jubail was the 5th-most disconnected out of the 7 cities in Ash Sharqiyah. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has not changed. Jubail ranked 5th in 1975, 6th in 1976-1990, 2nd in 1991-2000 and 5th in 2001-2014.

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

How do development practices in Jubail fare in comparison to others in Saudi Arabia? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Jubail was the 23rd-most disconnected out of the 46 cities in Saudi Arabia. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has risen; relative to other cities in Saudi Arabia, street construction in Jubail has become more disconnected. Jubail ranked 25th in 1975, 33rd in 1976-1990, 7th in 1991-2000 and 23rd in 2001-2014.

Jubail and Ash Sharqiyah follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi for both of these rose steadily.

To date, Jubail is the 6th-most disconnected out of the 7 cities in Ash Sharqiyah. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Ash Sharqiyah, the street network in Jubail has become more connected. Jubail ranked 5th in 1975, 6th in 1976-1990, 5th in 1991-2000 and 6th in 2001-2014.

Jubail and Saudi Arabia follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi for both of these rose steadily.

To date, Jubail is the 36th-most disconnected out of the 46 cities in Saudi Arabia. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Saudi Arabia, the street network in Jubail has become more connected. Jubail ranked 25th in 1975, 35th in 1976-1990, 36th in 1991-2000 and 36th in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Jubail had a built-up area of 18.98 square kilometers, and a population of 112819 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: