Street-network Sprawl in Formosa, 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.

Formosa: city in Goiás, 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 Formosa, Brazil on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Formosa as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 0.27, which is very well-connected.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are -0.03, 0.16, 0.82 and 3.48. In each period, new street development in Formosa steadily grows more disconnected than in the last.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Formosa spans a total of 468 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed prior to 1975. These roads have an SNDi of -0.03, 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 -0.03, 0.03, 0.24 and 0.27. Overall, the SNDi of the aggregate street network has risen: the street network in Formosa has become more disconnected. This increase has slowed: between 1975 and 1976-1990, SNDi rose by 0.06 points, but between 1991-2000 and 2001-2014, it rose by just 0.03.

Formosa and Goiás 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 Formosa fare in comparison to others in Goiás? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Formosa was the 2nd-most disconnected out of the 18 cities in Goiás. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has risen; relative to other cities in Goiás, street construction in Formosa has become more disconnected. Formosa ranked 13th in 1975, 12th in 1976-1990, 10th in 1991-2000 and 2nd in 2001-2014.

Formosa 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 Formosa fare in comparison to others in Brazil? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Formosa was the 129th-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 Formosa has become more disconnected. Formosa ranked 302nd in 1975, 219th in 1976-1990, 277th in 1991-2000 and 129th in 2001-2014.

Formosa and Goiás follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi for both of these rose steadily.

To date, Formosa is the 13th-most disconnected out of the 18 cities in Goiás. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has not changed. Formosa ranked 13th in 1975, 14th in 1976-1990, 12th in 1991-2000 and 13th in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Formosa is the 321st-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 Formosa has become more connected. Formosa ranked 302nd in 1975, 325th in 1976-1990, 313th in 1991-2000 and 321st in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Formosa had a built-up area of 10.57 square kilometers, and a population of 93927 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: