Street-network Sprawl in Rio Branco, Brazil

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.

Rio Branco: city in Acre, Brazil

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 Rio Branco, Brazil on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Rio Branco as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 2.71, which is in the 40th to 60th percentile of disconnectedness.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are 2.7, nan, 2.45 and 3.83. Data was not available in 1976-1990.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Rio Branco spans a total of 926 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed prior to 1975. These roads have an SNDi of 2.7, which is in the 40th to 60th percentile of disconnectedness.

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 2.7, 2.7, 2.65 and 2.71. Disconnectivity in Rio Branco's street network follows a zig-zag trend. In 1991-2000, the city was most disconnected; while it was most connected in 2001-2014.

Rio Branco and Acre do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. There was not enough data from the city, as well as the Acre's street network construction.

How do development practices in Rio Branco fare in comparison to others in Acre? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Rio Branco was the 2nd-most disconnected out of the 2 cities in Acre. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Acre, street construction in Rio Branco has become more connected. Rio Branco ranked 1st in 1975, 1st in 1991-2000 and 2nd in 2001-2014. There was no ranking in 1976-1990 due to unavailable data.

Rio Branco and Brazil do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. There was not enough data from the city, while the SNDi of street constructions in Brazil rose steadily.

How do development practices in Rio Branco fare in comparison to others in Brazil? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Rio Branco was the 115th-most disconnected out of the 348 cities in Brazil. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has risen; relative to other cities in Brazil, street construction in Rio Branco has become more disconnected. Rio Branco ranked 49th in 1975, 157th in 1991-2000 and 115th in 2001-2014. There was no ranking in 1976-1990 due to unavailable data.

Rio Branco and Acre do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi in Rio Branco followed a zig-zag trend with an overall increase, while the SNDi of street constructions in Acre rose steadily.

To date, Rio Branco is the 1st-most disconnected out of the 2 cities in Acre. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has not changed. Rio Branco ranked 1st in 1975, 1st in 1976-1990, 1st in 1991-2000 and 1st in 2001-2014.

Rio Branco and Brazil do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi in Rio Branco followed a zig-zag trend with an overall increase, while the SNDi of street constructions in Brazil rose steadily.

To date, Rio Branco is the 60th-most disconnected out of the 348 cities in Brazil. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Brazil, the street network in Rio Branco has become more connected. Rio Branco ranked 49th in 1975, 53rd in 1976-1990, 59th in 1991-2000 and 60th in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Rio Branco had a built-up area of 30.61 square kilometers, and a population of 320509 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: