National Addressing System

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====== Guideline on use of composite street names ======

Composite street names consisting of an (area) name followed by a numerical suffix. This form of naming is permissible only when it is not feasible to assign unique names to all streets.

Circumstances that could mandate the use of composite street names include:

  * When it proves impossible to come up with a sufficient amount of unique names
  * When unique names would cause issues related to tensions and/or sensitivity related to the history of the area and its relevance to its residents
  * When there is a finite, regular street grid with perpendicular streets

The purpose of this naming strategy is a way to come up with unique names quickly, but it is understood that it is only a half-way measure to achieving unique names for all streets. It is expected that streets named using this strategy in the long term will be renamed to unique names. This would require additional investments in new street signage, therefore it is infinitely preferable to apply unique street names from the start.

===== Limit the number of digits =====

If it must be used, it should be limited to a single digit or in exceptional circumstances two digits. The chances of misremembering e.g. 12, Al Ward Street 21 and its associate consequence increases with the number of digits used.

===== Consistent, unique naming =====

When a composite street name is used with a numerical suffix, the same street name must not be utilized without the numerical suffix. There can not be both a "Al Noor Street" and a "Al Noor Street 1", if "Al Noor Street" is used in combination with a number it should __only__ be used in combination with numbers.

===== Sequential assignment of numeric suffixes =====

Numbered suffixes must be arranged sequentially, relative to the point of origin and the main entry point into the area. This arrangement is essential for facilitating easy navigation and comprehension of the street order.

===== Record rationale, justification =====

When choosing this type of naming, the justification should be recorded so that the approving authority can understand the rationale for the decision and determine if the considerations are valid.

===== Examples =====

The following are examples of street networks where composite street names consisting of a name part and a number //could// be applied subject to the constraints above.

{{:wiki:guidelines:street-identification:composite-name-example.png?600&direct}}


====== Rationale for guidelines on composite street names ======

===== Arguments against... =====

Problems caused by composite street names include:

==== Issues related to navigation & wayfinding ====

  * **Low mnemonic value**\\ Numbers carry very little contextual information—there’s nothing inherently distinctive about “Al Ward 1 Street” versus “Al Ward 2 Street,” so people (especially newcomers) struggle to remember which block is which.
  * **Poor spatial cues**\\ With true sequential suffixes you might assume “1” is adjacent to “2,” then “3,” etc., but in practice many developments skip numbers, reuse them in sub-areas, or insert cul-de-sacs, confusing intuitive mental maps.

==== Issues related to emergency dispatch & public safety ====

  * **Delayed response times**\\ In high-stress situations, “Al Ward 10” might be misheard as “Al Ward 1 Street,” or an over-the-radio “one-oh” can easily be garbled. In same-named clusters, first responders risk going to the wrong block.
  * **Ambiguity under duress**\\ Even GPS units sometimes truncate or abbreviate street names on-screen; a suffix “1” could be dropped or appended incorrectly, further complicating dispatch.

==== Postal & delivery inefficiencies ====

  * **High error rates**\\ Couriers, online retailers, and postal workers must be hyper-vigilant about the numeric part; small transposition errors (“Al Ward 12 Street” vs. “Al Ward 21 Street”) can send parcels to the wrong place, increasing re-delivery costs.
  * When used in conjunction with the address unit number, e.g. 12, Al Ward 21 Street this challenge is further amplified
  * **Batch sorting limitations**\\ Automated sorting machines that apply OCR to auto-sort text have higher success rates on more diverse street names to flag anomalies—monotonic sequences of similarly named streets can reduce the effectiveness of error-checking heuristics.

==== Cultural & community identity ====

  * **Lack of character**\\ Numbered streets feel generic and interchangeable. They do little to reflect local history, geography, or cultural landmarks—which in turn diminishes a sense of place and community pride.
  * **Missed branding opportunities**\\ Cities often use street names to honor local figures, events, or natural features. Numeric schemes forego that richness entirely.

==== Data management & GIS concerns ====

  * **Indexing collisions**\\ In geographic databases, you end up with large clusters of records where the only distinguishing field is an integer. Queries (e.g. “find all ‘Al Ward’ streets”) return unwieldy result sets.
  * **Parsing and validation**\\ Many address-validation libraries expect more variety in the “street” token; large sequences of numbered suffixes can trigger false positives or get flagged for manual review.

==== Aesthetics & Signage ====

  * **Sign clutter**\\ If you signpost every suffix explicitly (e.g. huge “1” or “2” on the street name sign), signs become overly busy or confusing at intersections where multiple numbered variants meet.
  * **Design consistency**\\ Numeric suffixes force a uniform sign layout, which may clash with varied architectural or way-finding schemes in different sub-neighborhoods.

===== Arguments in favor... =====

The upside of composite street names include:

==== Simplicity & predictability ====

  * **Easy to understand when used in areas with regular street grids**\\ Even someone unfamiliar with the city quickly grasps “Al Ward 3 Street” comes after “Al Ward 2 Street,” without needing to learn a batch of unique names.
  * **Easy to expand areas without running out of names**\\ Municipal planners and developers can follow the same template, reducing ambiguity when laying out new phases of a development.

==== Cost‐effective signage production ====

  * **Economies of scale**\\ Street-blade templates need only swap out the numeral. Bulk-printing a single design with variable digits is cheaper than designing many distinct names.

==== Universal & (more) language‐neutral ====

  * **Cross-lingual clarity**\\ Numbers and area names often remain the same across languages—minimizing translation issues or spelling variants in multilingual contexts.
  * **Minimal transcription errors**\\ Digits are less prone to typographical distortion than longer, unfamiliar names.

==== Fairness & neutrality ====

  * **Avoids naming controversies**\\ You sidestep debates over which historical figure or local landmark “deserves” a street, eliminating political or cultural tensions.
  * **Equitable recognition**\\ Every new development is treated the same, without favoring one area with a prestigious-sounding name over another.

===== Assessment =====

In sum, the advantages of using composite street names are mostly from the point of view of the government; the advantages of not using them and instead going for exclusively unique names is better for the residents and public safety.

Since it (1) can work quite well in regular street grids and (2) can help bypass naming controversies, the use of composite street names is //not// prohibited. It can also work as //a last resort// if it proves impossible to find unique street names, e.g. due to a very large number of local access streets.

However, both Arabic and English are //very //rich languages. When using street names that consist of one or two words there is a very large number of possible combinations that by far exceeds the number of streets in any single government by many orders of magnitude. When resorting to this naming strategy, the competent authority should therefore describe the rationale for choosing composite names.