Street-network Sprawl in La Plata, 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.

La Plata: 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 La Plata, Argentina on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in La Plata as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 0.23, which is very well-connected.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are -0.23, 0.87, 1.55 and 1.99. In each period, new street development in La Plata steadily grows more disconnected than in the last. This increase has slowed: between 1975 and 1976-1990, SNDi rose by 1.11 points, but between 1991-2000 and 2001-2014, it rose by just 0.45.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in La Plata spans a total of 2557 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed prior to 1975. These roads have an SNDi of -0.23, 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 -0.23, 0.07, 0.11 and 0.23. Overall, the SNDi of the aggregate street network has risen: the street network in La Plata has become more disconnected. This increase has slowed: between 1975 and 1976-1990, SNDi rose by 0.3 points, but between 1991-2000 and 2001-2014, it rose by just 0.12.

La Plata and Buenos Aires follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi for both of these rose steadily.

How do development practices in La Plata fare in comparison to others in Buenos Aires? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in La Plata was the 6th-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 La Plata has become more disconnected. La Plata ranked 13th in 1975, 7th in 1976-1990, 7th in 1991-2000 and 6th in 2001-2014.

La Plata and Argentina follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi for both of these rose steadily.

How do development practices in La Plata fare in comparison to others in Argentina? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in La Plata was the 20th-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 La Plata has become more disconnected. La Plata ranked 43rd in 1975, 16th in 1976-1990, 15th in 1991-2000 and 20th in 2001-2014.

La Plata 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, La Plata is the 7th-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 La Plata has become more disconnected. La Plata ranked 13th in 1975, 9th in 1976-1990, 9th in 1991-2000 and 7th in 2001-2014.

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

To date, La Plata is the 35th-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 La Plata has become more disconnected. La Plata ranked 43rd in 1975, 40th in 1976-1990, 41st in 1991-2000 and 35th in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, La Plata had a built-up area of 116.2 square kilometers, and a population of 691901 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: