Street-network Sprawl in General Roca, 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 Roca: city in Río Negro, 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 Roca, Argentina on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in General Roca as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 0.3, which is very well-connected.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are 0.53, -0.06, -0.77 and 0.87. The disconnectivity of new streets constructed in General Roca fell, then rose. In 1991-2000, new street layouts were the most connected.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in General Roca spans a total of 319 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed prior to 1975. These roads have an SNDi of 0.53, which is relatively 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 0.53, 0.33, 0.26 and 0.3. The SNDi of the aggregate street network in fell at first, but General Roca has worsened in disconnectivity since 2000.

General Roca and Río Negro follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi for both of these was at its lowest in 1991-2000.

How do development practices in General Roca fare in comparison to others in Río Negro? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in General Roca was the 1st-most disconnected out of the 4 cities in Río Negro. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has risen; relative to other cities in Río Negro, street construction in General Roca has become more disconnected. General Roca ranked 2nd in 1975, 3rd in 1976-1990, 4th in 1991-2000 and 1st in 2001-2014.

General Roca and Argentina do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi in General Roca was at its lowest in 1991-2000, while the SNDi of street constructions in Argentina rose steadily.

How do development practices in General Roca fare in comparison to others in Argentina? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in General Roca was the 39th-most disconnected out of the 70 cities in Argentina. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Argentina, street construction in General Roca has become more connected. General Roca ranked 16th in 1975, 54th in 1976-1990, 70th in 1991-2000 and 39th in 2001-2014.

General Roca and Río Negro follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi for both of these was at its lowest in 1991-2000.

To date, General Roca is the 3rd-most disconnected out of the 4 cities in Río Negro. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Río Negro, the street network in General Roca has become more connected. General Roca ranked 2nd in 1975, 2nd in 1976-1990, 3rd in 1991-2000 and 3rd in 2001-2014.

General Roca and Argentina do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi in General Roca was at its lowest in 1991-2000, while the SNDi of street constructions in Argentina rose steadily.

To date, General Roca is the 29th-most disconnected out of the 70 cities in Argentina. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Argentina, the street network in General Roca has become more connected. General Roca ranked 16th in 1975, 26th in 1976-1990, 31st in 1991-2000 and 29th in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, General Roca had a built-up area of 9.46 square kilometers, and a population of 78184 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: