Street-network Sprawl in Itajubá, 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.

Itajubá: city in Minas Gerais, 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 Itajubá, Brazil on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Itajubá as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 1.94, which is relatively well-connected.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are 1.78, nan, 3.36 and 3.95. Data was not available in 1976-1990.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Itajubá spans a total of 243 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed prior to 1975. These roads have an SNDi of 1.78, 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 1.78, 1.78, 1.84 and 1.94. Overall, the SNDi of the aggregate street network has risen: the street network in Itajubá has become more disconnected.

Itajubá and Minas Gerais 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 Minas Gerais rose steadily.

How do development practices in Itajubá fare in comparison to others in Minas Gerais? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Itajubá was the 12th-most disconnected out of the 47 cities in Minas Gerais. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has risen; relative to other cities in Minas Gerais, street construction in Itajubá has become more disconnected. Itajubá ranked 13th in 1975, 16th in 1991-2000 and 12th in 2001-2014. There was no ranking in 1976-1990 due to unavailable data.

Itajubá 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 Itajubá fare in comparison to others in Brazil? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Itajubá was the 109th-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 Itajubá has become more connected. Itajubá ranked 100th in 1975, 101st in 1991-2000 and 109th in 2001-2014. There was no ranking in 1976-1990 due to unavailable data.

Itajubá and Minas Gerais do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi in Itajubá rose steadily, while the SNDi of street constructions in Minas Gerais rose steadily.

To date, Itajubá is the 21st-most disconnected out of the 47 cities in Minas Gerais. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Minas Gerais, the street network in Itajubá has become more connected. Itajubá ranked 13th in 1975, 20th in 1976-1990, 20th in 1991-2000 and 21st in 2001-2014.

Itajubá and Brazil do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi in Itajubá rose steadily, while the SNDi of street constructions in Brazil rose steadily.

To date, Itajubá is the 131st-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 Itajubá has become more connected. Itajubá ranked 100th in 1975, 125th in 1976-1990, 130th in 1991-2000 and 131st in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Itajubá had a built-up area of 8.4 square kilometers, and a population of 66996 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: