Street-network Sprawl in São José do Rio Preto, 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.

São José do Rio Preto: 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 São José do Rio Preto, Brazil on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in São José do Rio Preto as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 0.73, which is relatively well-connected.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are 0.21, 0.97, 1.21 and 2.65. In each period, new street development in São José do Rio Preto steadily grows more disconnected than in the last.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in São José do Rio Preto spans a total of 1657 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed prior to 1975. These roads have an SNDi of 0.21, 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 0.21, 0.36, 0.53 and 0.73. Overall, the SNDi of the aggregate street network has risen: the street network in São José do Rio Preto has become more disconnected.

São José do Rio Preto 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 São José do Rio Preto fare in comparison to others in São Paulo? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in São José do Rio Preto was the 40th-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 São José do Rio Preto has become more disconnected. São José do Rio Preto ranked 48th in 1975, 45th in 1976-1990, 49th in 1991-2000 and 40th in 2001-2014.

São José do Rio Preto 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 São José do Rio Preto fare in comparison to others in Brazil? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in São José do Rio Preto was the 174th-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 São José do Rio Preto has become more disconnected. São José do Rio Preto ranked 274th in 1975, 171st in 1976-1990, 245th in 1991-2000 and 174th in 2001-2014.

São José do Rio Preto 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, São José do Rio Preto is the 56th-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 São José do Rio Preto has become more connected. São José do Rio Preto ranked 48th in 1975, 58th in 1976-1990, 59th in 1991-2000 and 56th in 2001-2014.

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

To date, São José do Rio Preto is the 263rd-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 São José do Rio Preto has become more disconnected. São José do Rio Preto ranked 274th in 1975, 285th in 1976-1990, 281st in 1991-2000 and 263rd in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, São José do Rio Preto had a built-up area of 47.2 square kilometers, and a population of 391582 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: