Street-network Sprawl in Modderspruit, South Africa

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.

Modderspruit: city in North West, South Africa

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 Modderspruit, South Africa on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Modderspruit as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 2.3, 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 3.33, 2.44, 1.27 and 3.65. The disconnectivity of new streets constructed in Modderspruit fell, then rose. In 1991-2000, new street layouts were the most connected.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Modderspruit spans a total of 246 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed in 1976-1990. These roads have an SNDi of 2.44, which is in the 40th to 60th percentile of disconnectedness.

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 3.33, 2.52, 2.25 and 2.3. The SNDi of the aggregate street network in fell at first, but Modderspruit has worsened in disconnectivity since 2000.

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

How do development practices in Modderspruit fare in comparison to others in North West? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Modderspruit was the 2nd-most disconnected out of the 7 cities in North West. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in North West, street construction in Modderspruit has become more connected. Modderspruit ranked 1st in 1975, 3rd in 1976-1990, 7th in 1991-2000 and 2nd in 2001-2014.

Modderspruit and South Africa do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi in Modderspruit was at its lowest in 1991-2000, while the SNDi of street constructions in South Africa followed a zig-zag trend with an overall increase.

How do development practices in Modderspruit fare in comparison to others in South Africa? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Modderspruit was the 37th-most disconnected out of the 77 cities in South Africa. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in South Africa, street construction in Modderspruit has become more connected. Modderspruit ranked 14th in 1975, 52nd in 1976-1990, 75th in 1991-2000 and 37th in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Modderspruit is the 4th-most disconnected out of the 7 cities in North West. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in North West, the street network in Modderspruit has become more connected. Modderspruit ranked 1st in 1975, 4th in 1976-1990, 5th in 1991-2000 and 4th in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Modderspruit is the 61st-most disconnected out of the 77 cities in South Africa. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in South Africa, the street network in Modderspruit has become more connected. Modderspruit ranked 14th in 1975, 50th in 1976-1990, 60th in 1991-2000 and 61st in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Modderspruit had a built-up area of 5.1 square kilometers, and a population of 53990 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: