Street-network Sprawl in Pato Branco, 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.

Pato Branco: city in Paraná, 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 Pato Branco, Brazil on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Pato Branco as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 1.61, which is relatively well-connected.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are 0.55, 1.79, 3.64 and 3.27. Street construction in Pato Branco increased in disconnectivity initially but has since improved. The streets constructed in 1991-2000 were the most disconnected.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Pato Branco spans a total of 281 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed prior to 1975. These roads have an SNDi of 0.55, 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 0.55, 1.02, 1.5 and 1.61. Overall, the SNDi of the aggregate street network has risen: the street network in Pato Branco has become more disconnected. This increase has slowed: between 1975 and 1976-1990, SNDi rose by 0.48 points, but between 1991-2000 and 2001-2014, it rose by just 0.11.

Pato Branco and Paraná do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi in Pato Branco peaked in 1991-2000, while the SNDi of street constructions in Paraná rose steadily.

How do development practices in Pato Branco fare in comparison to others in Paraná? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Pato Branco was the 11th-most disconnected out of the 22 cities in Paraná. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has risen; relative to other cities in Paraná, street construction in Pato Branco has become more disconnected. Pato Branco ranked 15th in 1975, 11th in 1976-1990, 6th in 1991-2000 and 11th in 2001-2014.

Pato Branco and Brazil do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi in Pato Branco peaked in 1991-2000, while the SNDi of street constructions in Brazil rose steadily.

How do development practices in Pato Branco fare in comparison to others in Brazil? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Pato Branco was the 142nd-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 Pato Branco has become more disconnected. Pato Branco ranked 234th in 1975, 119th in 1976-1990, 87th in 1991-2000 and 142nd in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Pato Branco is the 9th-most disconnected out of the 22 cities in Paraná. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has risen; relative to other cities in Paraná, the street network in Pato Branco has become more disconnected. Pato Branco ranked 15th in 1975, 14th in 1976-1990, 9th in 1991-2000 and 9th in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Pato Branco is the 159th-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 Pato Branco has become more disconnected. Pato Branco ranked 234th in 1975, 209th in 1976-1990, 159th in 1991-2000 and 159th in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Pato Branco had a built-up area of 10.6 square kilometers, and a population of 63611 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: