Context

2468<19751976–19901991–20052006–2020SNDi of street additions
2468<19751976–19901991–20052006–2020SNDi of entire street network
Centurion (most disconnected)Kroonstad (most connected)

The chart above shows the evolution of street network disconnectedness of the most connected and most disconnected cities in South Africa, for both new street additions (left) and the aggregate street network (right).

South Africa in context: Street-network sprawl of new development

The level of street-network sprawl in new development in South Africa rose steadily. To get a sense of how street development has changed in South Africa, we can consider three of its most populous regions: Gauteng, Western Cape and KwaZulu-Natal. Out of the three regions, Gauteng does not follow the same trend as the country. The level of street-network sprawl in new development in Gauteng peaked in 1991-2005.

The largest city in South Africa is Johannesburg, with a population of 6772100 people. Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Johannesburg as of 2020, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 4.24, which is sprawly. The level of street-network sprawl in new development in Johannesburg peaked in 1991-2005.

South Africa in context: Aggregate street-network sprawl

As of 2020, the city with the most disconnected street network in South Africa is Centurion with an SNDi of 6.63, which is very sprawly. Conversely, the most connected city is Kroonstad with an SNDi of 2.06, which is well-connected. See these two cities’ trends in the above graph, or dive deeper into each: Kroonstad, Centurion.

The level of street-network sprawl in the aggregate network in South Africa rose steadily. To get a sense of how the aggregate street network has changed in South Africa, we can consider three of its most populous regions: Gauteng, Western Cape and KwaZulu-Natal. Disconnectivity in the most populous cities in South Africa follow the same country trend.

The largest city in South Africa is Johannesburg, with a population of 6772100 people. Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Johannesburg as of 2020, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 4.24, which is sprawly. The level of street-network sprawl in the aggregate network in Johannesburg rose steadily.