Street-network Sprawl in Viedma, 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.

Viedma: 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 Viedma, Argentina on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Viedma as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is -0.43, which is very well-connected.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are -0.56, -0.86, 0.03 and 0.03. Disconnectivity in street construction in Viedma follows a zig-zag trend. In 1976-1990, street construction was most disconnected, while construction was most connected in 1991-2000.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Viedma spans a total of 343 kilometers. The period with the greatest volume of street construction was 1976-1990. These roads have an SNDi of -0.86, 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 -0.56, -0.73, -0.5 and -0.43. The SNDi of the aggregate street network in fell at first, but Viedma has worsened in disconnectivity since 1990.

Viedma and Río Negro do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi in Viedma followed a zig-zag trend with an overall increase, while the SNDi of street constructions in Río Negro was at its lowest in 1991-2000.

How do development practices in Viedma fare in comparison to others in Río Negro? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Viedma was the 4th-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, street construction in Viedma has become more connected. Viedma ranked 3rd in 1975, 4th in 1976-1990, 2nd in 1991-2000 and 4th in 2001-2014.

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

How do development practices in Viedma fare in comparison to others in Argentina? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Viedma was the 62nd-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 Viedma has become more connected. Viedma ranked 57th in 1975, 66th in 1976-1990, 54th in 1991-2000 and 62nd in 2001-2014.

Viedma and Río Negro do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi in Viedma was at its lowest in 1976-1990, while the SNDi of street constructions in Río Negro was at its lowest in 1991-2000.

To date, Viedma is the 4th-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 Viedma has become more connected. Viedma ranked 3rd in 1975, 4th in 1976-1990, 4th in 1991-2000 and 4th in 2001-2014.

Viedma and Argentina do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi in Viedma was at its lowest in 1976-1990, while the SNDi of street constructions in Argentina rose steadily.

To date, Viedma is the 69th-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 Viedma has become more connected. Viedma ranked 57th in 1975, 69th in 1976-1990, 70th in 1991-2000 and 69th in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Viedma had a built-up area of 10.93 square kilometers, and a population of 73063 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: