Street-network Sprawl in Santa Cruz do Sul, 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.

Santa Cruz do Sul: 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 Santa Cruz do Sul, Brazil on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Santa Cruz do Sul as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 1.99, which is relatively well-connected.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are 2.24, 1.65, 4.17 and 4.15. Disconnectivity in street construction in Santa Cruz do Sul follows a zig-zag trend. In 1976-1990, street construction was most disconnected, while construction was most connected in 1991-2000.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Santa Cruz do Sul spans a total of 299 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed in 1976-1990. These roads have an SNDi of 1.65, 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 2.24, 1.66, 1.91 and 1.99. The SNDi of the aggregate street network in fell at first, but Santa Cruz do Sul has worsened in disconnectivity since 1990.

Santa Cruz do Sul and Rio Grande do Sul do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi in Santa Cruz do Sul followed a zig-zag trend with an overall increase, while the SNDi of street constructions in Rio Grande do Sul rose steadily.

How do development practices in Santa Cruz do Sul fare in comparison to others in Rio Grande do Sul? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Santa Cruz do Sul was the 8th-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, street construction in Santa Cruz do Sul has become more connected. Santa Cruz do Sul ranked 3rd in 1975, 15th in 1976-1990, 4th in 1991-2000 and 8th in 2001-2014.

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

How do development practices in Santa Cruz do Sul fare in comparison to others in Brazil? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Santa Cruz do Sul was the 98th-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 Santa Cruz do Sul has become more connected. Santa Cruz do Sul ranked 68th in 1975, 132nd in 1976-1990, 63rd in 1991-2000 and 98th in 2001-2014.

Santa Cruz do Sul and Rio Grande do Sul do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi in Santa Cruz do Sul was at its lowest in 1976-1990, while the SNDi of street constructions in Rio Grande do Sul rose steadily.

To date, Santa Cruz do Sul is the 9th-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 Santa Cruz do Sul has become more connected. Santa Cruz do Sul ranked 3rd in 1975, 10th in 1976-1990, 9th in 1991-2000 and 9th in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Santa Cruz do Sul is the 126th-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 Santa Cruz do Sul has become more connected. Santa Cruz do Sul ranked 68th in 1975, 132nd in 1976-1990, 124th in 1991-2000 and 126th in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Santa Cruz do Sul had a built-up area of 13.29 square kilometers, and a population of 78482 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: