Street-network Sprawl in Mogi Guaçu, 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.

Mogi Guaçu: 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 Mogi Guaçu, Brazil on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Mogi Guaçu as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 1.53, which is relatively well-connected.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are 1.17, 1.41, 3.54 and 2.91. Street construction in Mogi Guaçu 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 Mogi Guaçu spans a total of 591 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed in 1976-1990. These roads have an SNDi of 1.41, 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 1.17, 1.29, 1.46 and 1.53. Overall, the SNDi of the aggregate street network has risen: the street network in Mogi Guaçu has become more disconnected. This increase has slowed: between 1975 and 1976-1990, SNDi rose by 0.12 points, but between 1991-2000 and 2001-2014, it rose by just 0.07.

Mogi Guaçu and São Paulo do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi in Mogi Guaçu peaked in 1991-2000, while the SNDi of street constructions in São Paulo rose steadily.

How do development practices in Mogi Guaçu fare in comparison to others in São Paulo? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Mogi Guaçu was the 38th-most disconnected out of the 74 cities in São Paulo. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in São Paulo, street construction in Mogi Guaçu has become more connected. Mogi Guaçu ranked 27th in 1975, 36th in 1976-1990, 20th in 1991-2000 and 38th in 2001-2014.

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

How do development practices in Mogi Guaçu fare in comparison to others in Brazil? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Mogi Guaçu was the 162nd-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 Mogi Guaçu has become more connected. Mogi Guaçu ranked 158th in 1975, 144th in 1976-1990, 92nd in 1991-2000 and 162nd in 2001-2014.

Mogi Guaçu 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, Mogi Guaçu is the 31st-most disconnected out of the 74 cities in São Paulo. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in São Paulo, the street network in Mogi Guaçu has become more connected. Mogi Guaçu ranked 27th in 1975, 34th in 1976-1990, 32nd in 1991-2000 and 31st in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Mogi Guaçu is the 166th-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 Mogi Guaçu has become more connected. Mogi Guaçu ranked 158th in 1975, 175th in 1976-1990, 164th in 1991-2000 and 166th in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Mogi Guaçu had a built-up area of 17.33 square kilometers, and a population of 131036 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: