Street-network Sprawl in Guanambi, 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.

Guanambi: city in Bahia, 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 Guanambi, Brazil on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Guanambi as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is -0.31, which is very well-connected.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are -0.2, -0.35, -0.31 and 0.12. The disconnectivity of new streets constructed in Guanambi fell, then rose. In 1976-1990, new street layouts were the most connected.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Guanambi spans a total of 318 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed in 1976-1990. These roads have an SNDi of -0.35, 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 -0.2, -0.35, -0.34 and -0.31. The SNDi of the aggregate street network in fell at first, but Guanambi has worsened in disconnectivity since 1990.

Guanambi and Bahia follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi for both of these was at its lowest in 1976-1990.

How do development practices in Guanambi fare in comparison to others in Bahia? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Guanambi was the 21st-most disconnected out of the 21 cities in Bahia. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Bahia, street construction in Guanambi has become more connected. Guanambi ranked 20th in 1975, 9th in 1976-1990, 20th in 1991-2000 and 21st in 2001-2014.

Guanambi and Brazil do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi in Guanambi was at its lowest in 1976-1990, while the SNDi of street constructions in Brazil rose steadily.

How do development practices in Guanambi fare in comparison to others in Brazil? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Guanambi was the 328th-most disconnected out of the 348 cities in Brazil. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Brazil, street construction in Guanambi has become more connected. Guanambi ranked 322nd in 1975, 237th in 1976-1990, 333rd in 1991-2000 and 328th in 2001-2014.

Guanambi and Bahia follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi for both of these was at its lowest in 1976-1990.

To date, Guanambi is the 21st-most disconnected out of the 21 cities in Bahia. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Bahia, the street network in Guanambi has become more connected. Guanambi ranked 20th in 1975, 21st in 1976-1990, 21st in 1991-2000 and 21st in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Guanambi is the 344th-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 Guanambi has become more connected. Guanambi ranked 322nd in 1975, 342nd in 1976-1990, 343rd in 1991-2000 and 344th in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Guanambi had a built-up area of 7.86 square kilometers, and a population of 55277 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: