Street-network Sprawl in Mityana, 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.

Mityana: city in Mubende, 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 Mityana, Uganda on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Mityana as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 1.74, which is relatively well-connected.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are 0.55, 1.58, 1.61 and 3.18. In each period, new street development in Mityana steadily grows more disconnected than in the last.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Mityana spans a total of 58 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed in 1991-2000. These roads have an SNDi of 1.61, 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 0.55, 0.83, 1.32 and 1.74. Overall, the SNDi of the aggregate street network has risen: the street network in Mityana has become more disconnected.

Mityana and Mubende do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi in Mityana rose steadily, while the SNDi of street constructions in Mubende followed a zig-zag trend with an overall increase.

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

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

How do development practices in Mityana fare in comparison to others in Uganda? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Mityana was the 17th-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 Mityana has become more connected. Mityana ranked 15th in 1975, 11th in 1976-1990, 17th in 1991-2000 and 17th in 2001-2014.

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

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

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

To date, Mityana is the 23rd-most disconnected out of the 26 cities in Uganda. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Uganda, the street network in Mityana has become more connected. Mityana ranked 15th in 1975, 15th in 1976-1990, 17th in 1991-2000 and 23rd in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Mityana had a built-up area of 2.93 square kilometers, and a population of 60608 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: