Street-network Sprawl in Patos de Minas, 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.

Patos de Minas: 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 Patos de Minas, Brazil on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Patos de Minas as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 0.54, which is relatively well-connected.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are 1.35, 0.23, 1.05 and 1.79. The disconnectivity of new streets constructed in Patos de Minas fell, then rose. In 1976-1990, new street layouts were the most connected.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Patos de Minas spans a total of 513 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed in 1976-1990. These roads have an SNDi of 0.23, 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 1.35, 0.27, 0.39 and 0.54. The SNDi of the aggregate street network in fell at first, but Patos de Minas has worsened in disconnectivity since 1990.

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

How do development practices in Patos de Minas fare in comparison to others in Minas Gerais? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Patos de Minas was the 34th-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, street construction in Patos de Minas has become more connected. Patos de Minas ranked 23rd in 1975, 40th in 1976-1990, 39th in 1991-2000 and 34th in 2001-2014.

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

How do development practices in Patos de Minas fare in comparison to others in Brazil? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Patos de Minas was the 244th-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 Patos de Minas has become more connected. Patos de Minas ranked 140th in 1975, 217th in 1976-1990, 261st in 1991-2000 and 244th in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Patos de Minas is the 40th-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 Patos de Minas has become more connected. Patos de Minas ranked 23rd in 1975, 40th in 1976-1990, 41st in 1991-2000 and 40th in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Patos de Minas is the 286th-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 Patos de Minas has become more connected. Patos de Minas ranked 140th in 1975, 297th in 1976-1990, 294th in 1991-2000 and 286th in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Patos de Minas had a built-up area of 13.14 square kilometers, and a population of 123786 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: