Street-network Sprawl in Vitória da Conquista, 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.

Vitória da Conquista: 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 Vitória da Conquista, Brazil on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Vitória da Conquista as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 0.66, which is relatively well-connected.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are 0.01, 0.69, 1.12 and 2.26. In each period, new street development in Vitória da Conquista steadily grows more disconnected than in the last.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Vitória da Conquista spans a total of 964 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed in 1976-1990. These roads have an SNDi of 0.69, 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 0.01, 0.39, 0.49 and 0.66. Overall, the SNDi of the aggregate street network has risen: the street network in Vitória da Conquista has become more disconnected. This increase has slowed: between 1975 and 1976-1990, SNDi rose by 0.37 points, but between 1991-2000 and 2001-2014, it rose by just 0.17.

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

How do development practices in Vitória da Conquista fare in comparison to others in Bahia? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Vitória da Conquista was the 16th-most disconnected out of the 21 cities in Bahia. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has risen; relative to other cities in Bahia, street construction in Vitória da Conquista has become more disconnected. Vitória da Conquista ranked 18th in 1975, 6th in 1976-1990, 15th in 1991-2000 and 16th in 2001-2014.

Vitória da Conquista and Brazil 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 Vitória da Conquista fare in comparison to others in Brazil? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Vitória da Conquista was the 201st-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 Vitória da Conquista has become more disconnected. Vitória da Conquista ranked 293rd in 1975, 187th in 1976-1990, 253rd in 1991-2000 and 201st in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Vitória da Conquista is the 17th-most disconnected out of the 21 cities in Bahia. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has risen; relative to other cities in Bahia, the street network in Vitória da Conquista has become more disconnected. Vitória da Conquista ranked 18th in 1975, 19th in 1976-1990, 18th in 1991-2000 and 17th in 2001-2014.

Vitória da Conquista and Brazil follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi for both of these rose steadily.

To date, Vitória da Conquista is the 267th-most disconnected out of the 348 cities in Brazil. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has risen; relative to other cities in Brazil, the street network in Vitória da Conquista has become more disconnected. Vitória da Conquista ranked 293rd in 1975, 283rd in 1976-1990, 285th in 1991-2000 and 267th in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Vitória da Conquista had a built-up area of 28.39 square kilometers, and a population of 264629 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: