Street-network Sprawl in Rio Grande, 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.

Rio Grande: city in Rio Grande do Sul, 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 Rio Grande, Brazil on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Rio Grande as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 0.32, which is very well-connected.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are -0.08, 0.56, 1.05 and 2.1. In each period, new street development in Rio Grande steadily grows more disconnected than in the last.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Rio Grande spans a total of 446 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed prior to 1975. These roads have an SNDi of -0.08, 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 -0.08, 0.18, 0.29 and 0.32. Overall, the SNDi of the aggregate street network has risen: the street network in Rio Grande has become more disconnected. This increase has slowed: between 1975 and 1976-1990, SNDi rose by 0.26 points, but between 1991-2000 and 2001-2014, it rose by just 0.03.

Rio Grande and Rio Grande do Sul 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 Rio Grande fare in comparison to others in Rio Grande do Sul? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Rio Grande was the 21st-most disconnected out of the 24 cities in Rio Grande do Sul. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has risen; relative to other cities in Rio Grande do Sul, street construction in Rio Grande has become more disconnected. Rio Grande ranked 22nd in 1975, 23rd in 1976-1990, 22nd in 1991-2000 and 21st in 2001-2014.

Rio Grande 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 Rio Grande fare in comparison to others in Brazil? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Rio Grande was the 217th-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 Rio Grande has become more disconnected. Rio Grande ranked 311th in 1975, 198th in 1976-1990, 259th in 1991-2000 and 217th in 2001-2014.

Rio Grande and Rio Grande do Sul follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi for both of these rose steadily.

To date, Rio Grande is the 23rd-most disconnected out of the 24 cities in Rio Grande do Sul. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Rio Grande do Sul, the street network in Rio Grande has become more connected. Rio Grande ranked 22nd in 1975, 23rd in 1976-1990, 22nd in 1991-2000 and 23rd in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Rio Grande is the 310th-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 Rio Grande has become more disconnected. Rio Grande ranked 311th in 1975, 309th in 1976-1990, 306th in 1991-2000 and 310th in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Rio Grande had a built-up area of 18.21 square kilometers, and a population of 161466 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: