Street-network Sprawl in Lira, Uganda

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.

Lira: city in Uganda

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 Lira, Uganda on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Lira as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 3.62, which is highly disconnected.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are 2.06, 2.64, 3.27 and 4.19. In each period, new street development in Lira steadily grows more disconnected than in the last.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Lira spans a total of 180 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed in 2001-2014. These roads have an SNDi of 4.19, 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 2.06, 2.49, 3.16 and 3.62. Overall, the SNDi of the aggregate street network has risen: the street network in Lira has become more disconnected.

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

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

How do development practices in Lira fare in comparison to others in Uganda? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Lira was the 10th-most disconnected out of the 26 cities in Uganda. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Uganda, street construction in Lira has become more connected. Lira ranked 9th in 1975, 8th in 1976-1990, 10th in 1991-2000 and 10th in 2001-2014.

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

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

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

To date, Lira is the 7th-most disconnected out of the 26 cities in Uganda. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has risen; relative to other cities in Uganda, the street network in Lira has become more disconnected. Lira ranked 9th in 1975, 8th in 1976-1990, 4th in 1991-2000 and 7th in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Lira had a built-up area of 4.92 square kilometers, and a population of 133396 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: