Street-network Sprawl in General Rodríguez, Argentina

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.

General Rodríguez: city in Buenos Aires, Argentina

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 General Rodríguez, Argentina on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in General Rodríguez as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 0.2, which is very well-connected.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are -0.47, 0.44, 0.24 and 1.29. Disconnectivity in street construction in General Rodríguez follows a zig-zag trend. In 1975, street construction was most disconnected, while construction was most connected in 2001-2014.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in General Rodríguez spans a total of 289 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed in 1976-1990. These roads have an SNDi of 0.44, 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 -0.47, 0.15, 0.17 and 0.2. Overall, the SNDi of the aggregate street network has risen: the street network in General Rodríguez has become more disconnected. This increase has slowed: between 1975 and 1976-1990, SNDi rose by 0.62 points, but between 1991-2000 and 2001-2014, it rose by just 0.04.

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

How do development practices in General Rodríguez fare in comparison to others in Buenos Aires? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in General Rodríguez was the 8th-most disconnected out of the 17 cities in Buenos Aires. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has risen; relative to other cities in Buenos Aires, street construction in General Rodríguez has become more disconnected. General Rodríguez ranked 16th in 1975, 10th in 1976-1990, 14th in 1991-2000 and 8th in 2001-2014.

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

How do development practices in General Rodríguez fare in comparison to others in Argentina? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in General Rodríguez was the 32nd-most disconnected out of the 70 cities in Argentina. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has risen; relative to other cities in Argentina, street construction in General Rodríguez has become more disconnected. General Rodríguez ranked 55th in 1975, 26th in 1976-1990, 49th in 1991-2000 and 32nd in 2001-2014.

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

To date, General Rodríguez is the 8th-most disconnected out of the 17 cities in Buenos Aires. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has risen; relative to other cities in Buenos Aires, the street network in General Rodríguez has become more disconnected. General Rodríguez ranked 16th in 1975, 6th in 1976-1990, 7th in 1991-2000 and 8th in 2001-2014.

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

To date, General Rodríguez is the 39th-most disconnected out of the 70 cities in Argentina. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has risen; relative to other cities in Argentina, the street network in General Rodríguez has become more disconnected. General Rodríguez ranked 55th in 1975, 34th in 1976-1990, 36th in 1991-2000 and 39th in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, General Rodríguez had a built-up area of 7.19 square kilometers, and a population of 54967 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: