Street-network Sprawl in Tsévié, Togo

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.

Tsévié: city in Maritime, Togo

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 Tsévié, Togo on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Tsévié as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 0.81, which is relatively well-connected.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are -0.16, 0.16, 0.63 and 2.09. In each period, new street development in Tsévié steadily grows more disconnected than in the last.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Tsévié spans a total of 186 kilometers. The period with the greatest volume of street construction was 1976-1990. These roads have an SNDi of 0.16, which is very 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 -0.16, 0.11, 0.33 and 0.81. Overall, the SNDi of the aggregate street network has risen: the street network in Tsévié has become more disconnected.

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

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

Tsévié and Togo 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 Tsévié fare in comparison to others in Togo? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Tsévié was the 9th-most disconnected out of the 20 cities in Togo. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Togo, street construction in Tsévié has become more connected. Tsévié ranked 8th in 1975, 14th in 1976-1990, 13th in 1991-2000 and 9th in 2001-2014.

Tsévié and Maritime do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi in Tsévié rose steadily, while the SNDi of street constructions in Maritime was at its lowest in 1976-1990.

To date, Tsévié is the 3rd-most disconnected out of the 3 cities in Maritime. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has not changed. Tsévié ranked 3rd in 1975, 3rd in 1976-1990, 3rd in 1991-2000 and 3rd in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Tsévié is the 14th-most disconnected out of the 20 cities in Togo. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Togo, the street network in Tsévié has become more connected. Tsévié ranked 8th in 1975, 15th in 1976-1990, 14th in 1991-2000 and 14th in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Tsévié had a built-up area of 3.34 square kilometers, and a population of 82468 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: