Street-network Sprawl in Santander de Quilichao, Colombia

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.

Santander de Quilichao: city in Cauca, Colombia

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 Santander de Quilichao, Colombia on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Santander de Quilichao as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 2.03, which is relatively well-connected.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are 1.82, nan, 3.67 and 1.01. Data was not available in 1976-1990.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Santander de Quilichao spans a total of 90 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed prior to 1975. These roads have an SNDi of 1.82, 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 1.82, 1.82, 2.08 and 2.03. Disconnectivity in Santander de Quilichao's street network follows a zig-zag trend. In 1975, the city was most disconnected; while it was most connected in 1991-2000.

Santander de Quilichao and Cauca do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. There was not enough data from the city, as well as the Cauca's street network construction.

How do development practices in Santander de Quilichao fare in comparison to others in Cauca? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Santander de Quilichao was the 2nd-most disconnected out of the 2 cities in Cauca. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has not changed. Santander de Quilichao ranked 1st in 1975, 2nd in 1991-2000 and 2nd in 2001-2014. There was no ranking in 1976-1990 due to unavailable data.

Santander de Quilichao and Colombia do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. There was not enough data from the city, while the SNDi of street constructions in Colombia was at its lowest in 1976-1990.

How do development practices in Santander de Quilichao fare in comparison to others in Colombia? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Santander de Quilichao was the 60th-most disconnected out of the 91 cities in Colombia. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Colombia, street construction in Santander de Quilichao has become more connected. Santander de Quilichao ranked 32nd in 1975, 24th in 1991-2000 and 60th in 2001-2014. There was no ranking in 1976-1990 due to unavailable data.

Santander de Quilichao and Cauca do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi in Santander de Quilichao followed a zig-zag trend with an overall increase, while the SNDi of street constructions in Cauca rose steadily.

To date, Santander de Quilichao is the 2nd-most disconnected out of the 2 cities in Cauca. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Cauca, the street network in Santander de Quilichao has become more connected. Santander de Quilichao ranked 1st in 1975, 1st in 1976-1990, 1st in 1991-2000 and 2nd in 2001-2014.

Santander de Quilichao and Colombia do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi in Santander de Quilichao followed a zig-zag trend with an overall increase, while the SNDi of street constructions in Colombia rose steadily.

To date, Santander de Quilichao is the 32nd-most disconnected out of the 91 cities in Colombia. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has not changed. Santander de Quilichao ranked 32nd in 1975, 32nd in 1976-1990, 25th in 1991-2000 and 32nd in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Santander de Quilichao had a built-up area of 1.88 square kilometers, and a population of 78040 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: