Street-network Sprawl in Parque dos Buritis, 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.

Parque dos Buritis: 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 Parque dos Buritis, Brazil on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Parque dos Buritis as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 0.89, which is relatively well-connected.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are 0.56, 1.34, 0.7 and 1.0. Disconnectivity in street construction in Parque dos Buritis follows a zig-zag trend. In 1975, street construction was most disconnected, while construction was most connected in 1976-1990.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Parque dos Buritis spans a total of 393 kilometers. The period with the greatest volume of street construction was 1975. These roads have an SNDi of 0.56, 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 0.56, 0.94, 0.88 and 0.89. Disconnectivity in Parque dos Buritis's street network follows a zig-zag trend. In 1975, the city was most disconnected; while it was most connected in 1976-1990.

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

How do development practices in Parque dos Buritis fare in comparison to others in Goiás? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Parque dos Buritis was the 9th-most disconnected out of the 18 cities in Goiás. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Goiás, street construction in Parque dos Buritis has become more connected. Parque dos Buritis ranked 6th in 1975, 5th in 1976-1990, 12th in 1991-2000 and 9th in 2001-2014.

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

How do development practices in Parque dos Buritis fare in comparison to others in Brazil? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Parque dos Buritis was the 294th-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 Parque dos Buritis has become more connected. Parque dos Buritis ranked 230th in 1975, 150th in 1976-1990, 294th in 1991-2000 and 294th in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Parque dos Buritis is the 6th-most disconnected out of the 18 cities in Goiás. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has not changed. Parque dos Buritis ranked 6th in 1975, 6th in 1976-1990, 6th in 1991-2000 and 6th in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Parque dos Buritis is the 249th-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 Parque dos Buritis has become more connected. Parque dos Buritis ranked 230th in 1975, 218th in 1976-1990, 240th in 1991-2000 and 249th in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Parque dos Buritis had a built-up area of 8.96 square kilometers, and a population of 74642 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: