Street-network Sprawl in Coronel, Chile

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.

Coronel: city in Bío-Bío, Chile

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 Coronel, Chile on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Coronel as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 3.13, which is in the 40th to 60th percentile of disconnectedness.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are 2.76, 3.39, 5.24 and 4.42. Street construction in Coronel 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 Coronel spans a total of 350 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed prior to 1975. These roads have an SNDi of 2.76, which is in the 40th to 60th percentile of disconnectedness.

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 2.76, 2.79, 2.93 and 3.13. Overall, the SNDi of the aggregate street network has risen: the street network in Coronel has become more disconnected.

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

How do development practices in Coronel fare in comparison to others in Bío-Bío? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Coronel was the 2nd-most disconnected out of the 4 cities in Bío-Bío. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has not changed. Coronel ranked 2nd in 1975, 3rd in 1976-1990, 2nd in 1991-2000 and 2nd in 2001-2014.

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

How do development practices in Coronel fare in comparison to others in Chile? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Coronel was the 9th-most disconnected out of the 33 cities in Chile. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Chile, street construction in Coronel has become more connected. Coronel ranked 6th in 1975, 7th in 1976-1990, 2nd in 1991-2000 and 9th in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Coronel is the 2nd-most disconnected out of the 4 cities in Bío-Bío. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has not changed. Coronel ranked 2nd in 1975, 2nd in 1976-1990, 2nd in 1991-2000 and 2nd in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Coronel is the 3rd-most disconnected out of the 33 cities in Chile. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has risen; relative to other cities in Chile, the street network in Coronel has become more disconnected. Coronel ranked 6th in 1975, 7th in 1976-1990, 5th in 1991-2000 and 3rd in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Coronel had a built-up area of 10.33 square kilometers, and a population of 92703 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: