Street-network Sprawl in Mpanda, Tanzania

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.

Mpanda: city in Katavi, Tanzania

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 Mpanda, Tanzania on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Mpanda as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 2.55, 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 0.77, 1.8, 2.93 and 4.04. In each period, new street development in Mpanda steadily grows more disconnected than in the last.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Mpanda spans a total of 124 kilometers. The period with the greatest volume of street construction was 2001-2014. These roads have an SNDi of 4.04, which is highly disconnected.

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 0.77, 1.36, 2.05 and 2.55. Overall, the SNDi of the aggregate street network has risen: the street network in Mpanda has become more disconnected. This increase has slowed: between 1975 and 1976-1990, SNDi rose by 0.59 points, but between 1991-2000 and 2001-2014, it rose by just 0.5.

Mpanda and Katavi follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi for both of these rose steadily.

How do development practices in Mpanda fare in comparison to others in Katavi? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Mpanda was the 1st-most disconnected out of the 1 cities in Katavi. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has not changed. Mpanda ranked 1st in 1975, 1st in 1976-1990, 1st in 1991-2000 and 1st in 2001-2014.

Mpanda and Tanzania do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi in Mpanda rose steadily, while the SNDi of street constructions in Tanzania was at its lowest in 1976-1990.

How do development practices in Mpanda fare in comparison to others in Tanzania? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Mpanda was the 8th-most disconnected out of the 42 cities in Tanzania. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has risen; relative to other cities in Tanzania, street construction in Mpanda has become more disconnected. Mpanda ranked 21st in 1975, 18th in 1976-1990, 16th in 1991-2000 and 8th in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Mpanda is the 1st-most disconnected out of the 1 cities in Katavi. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has not changed. Mpanda ranked 1st in 1975, 1st in 1976-1990, 1st in 1991-2000 and 1st in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Mpanda is the 19th-most disconnected out of the 42 cities in Tanzania. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has risen; relative to other cities in Tanzania, the street network in Mpanda has become more disconnected. Mpanda ranked 21st in 1975, 29th in 1976-1990, 22nd in 1991-2000 and 19th in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Mpanda had a built-up area of 2.66 square kilometers, and a population of 92965 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: