Street-network Sprawl in Birigui, 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.

Birigui: city in São Paulo, 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 Birigui, Brazil on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Birigui as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 0.34, which is very well-connected.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are -0.29, -0.02, 0.87 and 1.34. In each period, new street development in Birigui steadily grows more disconnected than in the last.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Birigui spans a total of 494 kilometers. The period with the greatest volume of street construction was 1991-2000. These roads have an SNDi of 0.87, 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 -0.29, -0.14, 0.18 and 0.34. Overall, the SNDi of the aggregate street network has risen: the street network in Birigui has become more disconnected.

Birigui and São Paulo 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 Birigui fare in comparison to others in São Paulo? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Birigui was the 60th-most disconnected out of the 74 cities in São Paulo. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has risen; relative to other cities in São Paulo, street construction in Birigui has become more disconnected. Birigui ranked 67th in 1975, 67th in 1976-1990, 54th in 1991-2000 and 60th in 2001-2014.

Birigui 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 Birigui fare in comparison to others in Brazil? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Birigui was the 273rd-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 Birigui has become more disconnected. Birigui ranked 329th in 1975, 230th in 1976-1990, 274th in 1991-2000 and 273rd in 2001-2014.

Birigui and São Paulo follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi for both of these rose steadily.

To date, Birigui is the 63rd-most disconnected out of the 74 cities in São Paulo. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has risen; relative to other cities in São Paulo, the street network in Birigui has become more disconnected. Birigui ranked 67th in 1975, 71st in 1976-1990, 68th in 1991-2000 and 63rd in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Birigui is the 306th-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 Birigui has become more disconnected. Birigui ranked 329th in 1975, 338th in 1976-1990, 322nd in 1991-2000 and 306th in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Birigui had a built-up area of 11.08 square kilometers, and a population of 107509 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: