Street-network Sprawl in El Suki, 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.

El Suki: city in Sennar, 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 El Suki, Sudan on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in El Suki as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 0.55, which is relatively well-connected.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are -1.6, 1.94, 0.12 and 0.56. Disconnectivity in street construction in El Suki follows a zig-zag trend. In 1975, street construction was most disconnected, while construction was most connected in 1976-1990.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in El Suki spans a total of 94 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed in 2001-2014. These roads have an SNDi of 0.56, 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 -1.6, 1.79, 0.52 and 0.55. Disconnectivity in El Suki's street network follows a zig-zag trend. In 1975, the city was most disconnected; while it was most connected in 1976-1990.

El Suki and Sennar follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi for both of these followed a zig-zag trend with an overall increase.

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

El Suki and Sudan do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi in El Suki followed a zig-zag trend with an overall increase, while the SNDi of street constructions in Sudan peaked in 1991-2000.

How do development practices in El Suki fare in comparison to others in Sudan? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in El Suki was the 33rd-most disconnected out of the 63 cities in Sudan. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has not changed. El Suki ranked 33rd in 1975, 7th in 1976-1990, 31st in 1991-2000 and 33rd in 2001-2014.

El Suki and Sennar follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi for both of these followed a zig-zag trend with an overall increase.

To date, El Suki is the 3rd-most disconnected out of the 4 cities in Sennar. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Sennar, the street network in El Suki has become more connected. El Suki ranked 2nd in 1975, 1st in 1976-1990, 2nd in 1991-2000 and 3rd in 2001-2014.

El Suki and Sudan do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi in El Suki followed a zig-zag trend with an overall increase, while the SNDi of street constructions in Sudan rose steadily.

To date, El Suki is the 30th-most disconnected out of the 63 cities in Sudan. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has risen; relative to other cities in Sudan, the street network in El Suki has become more disconnected. El Suki ranked 33rd in 1975, 8th in 1976-1990, 22nd in 1991-2000 and 30th in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, El Suki had a built-up area of 1.13 square kilometers, and a population of 63089 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: