Mbala: city in Northern, Zambia
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 Mbala, Zambia on the sprawlmap
Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Mbala as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 0.61, which is relatively well-connected.
Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are 0.62, 1.42, 0.18 and 0.21. Disconnectivity in street construction in Mbala follows a zig-zag trend. In 1991-2000, street construction was most disconnected, while construction was most connected in 1976-1990.
Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Mbala spans a total of 57 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed in 2001-2014. These roads have an SNDi of 0.21, 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 0.62, 1.3, 1.05 and 0.61. The aggregate street network in Mbala increased in disconnectivity initially,but the trend has turned around after 1990.
Mbala and Northern do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi in Mbala followed a zig-zag trend with an overall decrease, while the SNDi of street constructions in Northern peaked in 1991-2000.
How do development practices in Mbala fare in comparison to others in Northern? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Mbala was the 3rd-most disconnected out of the 4 cities in Northern. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has not changed. Mbala ranked 3rd in 1975, 4th in 1976-1990, 3rd in 1991-2000 and 3rd in 2001-2014.
Mbala and Zambia do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi in Mbala followed a zig-zag trend with an overall decrease, while the SNDi of street constructions in Zambia rose steadily.
How do development practices in Mbala fare in comparison to others in Zambia? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Mbala was the 36th-most disconnected out of the 38 cities in Zambia. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Zambia, street construction in Mbala has become more connected. Mbala ranked 26th in 1975, 24th in 1976-1990, 30th in 1991-2000 and 36th in 2001-2014.
Mbala and Northern do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi in Mbala peaked in 1976-1990, while the SNDi of street constructions in Northern rose steadily.
To date, Mbala is the 4th-most disconnected out of the 4 cities in Northern. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Northern, the street network in Mbala has become more connected. Mbala ranked 3rd in 1975, 3rd in 1976-1990, 4th in 1991-2000 and 4th in 2001-2014.
Mbala and Zambia do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi in Mbala peaked in 1976-1990, while the SNDi of street constructions in Zambia rose steadily.
To date, Mbala is the 35th-most disconnected out of the 38 cities in Zambia. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Zambia, the street network in Mbala has become more connected. Mbala ranked 26th in 1975, 25th in 1976-1990, 31st in 1991-2000 and 35th in 2001-2014.
As of 2015, Mbala had a built-up area of 1.49 square kilometers, and a population of 122070 people.
These are some other cities with approximately the same population: