Street-network Sprawl in Juba, South Sudan

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.

Juba: city in Central Equatoria, South Sudan

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 Juba, South Sudan on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Juba as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 1.0, which is relatively well-connected.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are 1.36, 1.32, 0.39 and 0.99. The disconnectivity of new streets constructed in Juba fell, then rose. In 1991-2000, new street layouts were the most connected.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Juba spans a total of 884 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed in 2001-2014. These roads have an SNDi of 0.99, 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 1.36, 1.36, 1.16 and 1.0. The aggregate street network in Juba increased in disconnectivity initially,but the trend has turned around after 1990.

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

How do development practices in Juba fare in comparison to others in Central Equatoria? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Juba was the 3rd-most disconnected out of the 4 cities in Central Equatoria. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Central Equatoria, street construction in Juba has become more connected. Juba ranked 1st in 1975, 2nd in 1976-1990, 2nd in 1991-2000 and 3rd in 2001-2014.

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

How do development practices in Juba fare in comparison to others in South Sudan? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Juba was the 16th-most disconnected out of the 26 cities in South Sudan. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in South Sudan, street construction in Juba has become more connected. Juba ranked 2nd in 1975, 4th in 1976-1990, 7th in 1991-2000 and 16th in 2001-2014.

Juba and Central Equatoria do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi in Juba peaked in 1976-1990, while the SNDi of street constructions in Central Equatoria peaked in 1991-2000.

To date, Juba is the 3rd-most disconnected out of the 4 cities in Central Equatoria. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Central Equatoria, the street network in Juba has become more connected. Juba ranked 1st in 1975, 1st in 1976-1990, 1st in 1991-2000 and 3rd in 2001-2014.

Juba and South Sudan do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi in Juba peaked in 1976-1990, while the SNDi of street constructions in South Sudan rose steadily.

To date, Juba is the 16th-most disconnected out of the 26 cities in South Sudan. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in South Sudan, the street network in Juba has become more connected. Juba ranked 2nd in 1975, 5th in 1976-1990, 6th in 1991-2000 and 16th in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Juba had a built-up area of 37.36 square kilometers, and a population of 469565 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: