Street-network Sprawl in Baidoa, Somalia

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.

Baidoa: city in Bay, Somalia

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 Baidoa, Somalia on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Baidoa as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 1.52, which is relatively well-connected.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are 0.11, 9.9, 5.95 and 1.52. Street construction in Baidoa increased in disconnectivity initially but has since improved. The streets constructed in 1976-1990 were the most disconnected.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Baidoa spans a total of 91 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed in 2001-2014. These roads have an SNDi of 1.52, 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 0.11, 1.12, 1.59 and 1.52. The aggregate street network in Baidoa increased in disconnectivity initially,but the trend has turned around after 2000.

Baidoa and Bay do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi in Baidoa peaked in 1976-1990, while the SNDi of street constructions in Bay followed a zig-zag trend with an overall decrease.

How do development practices in Baidoa fare in comparison to others in Bay? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Baidoa was the 2nd-most disconnected out of the 3 cities in Bay. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Bay, street construction in Baidoa has become more connected. Baidoa ranked 1st in 1975, 1st in 1976-1990, 1st in 1991-2000 and 2nd in 2001-2014.

Baidoa and Somalia do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi in Baidoa peaked in 1976-1990, while the SNDi of street constructions in Somalia peaked in 1991-2000.

How do development practices in Baidoa fare in comparison to others in Somalia? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Baidoa was the 6th-most disconnected out of the 23 cities in Somalia. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has risen; relative to other cities in Somalia, street construction in Baidoa has become more disconnected. Baidoa ranked 10th in 1975, 1st in 1976-1990, 1st in 1991-2000 and 6th in 2001-2014.

Baidoa and Bay do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi in Baidoa peaked in 1991-2000, while the SNDi of street constructions in Bay followed a zig-zag trend with an overall decrease.

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

Baidoa and Somalia follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi for both of these peaked in 1991-2000.

To date, Baidoa is the 6th-most disconnected out of the 23 cities in Somalia. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has risen; relative to other cities in Somalia, the street network in Baidoa has become more disconnected. Baidoa ranked 10th in 1975, 5th in 1976-1990, 5th in 1991-2000 and 6th in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Baidoa had a built-up area of 1.71 square kilometers, and a population of 415898 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: