Street-network Sprawl in Barranca, Costa Rica

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.

Barranca: city in Puntarenas, Costa Rica

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 Barranca, Costa Rica on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Barranca as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 2.74, 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 2.48, 2.43, 3.42 and 4.88. The disconnectivity of new streets constructed in Barranca fell, then rose. In 1976-1990, new street layouts were the most connected.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Barranca spans a total of 189 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed prior to 1975. These roads have an SNDi of 2.48, 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 2.48, 2.45, 2.49 and 2.74. The SNDi of the aggregate street network in fell at first, but Barranca has worsened in disconnectivity since 1990.

Barranca and Puntarenas do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi in Barranca was at its lowest in 1976-1990, while the SNDi of street constructions in Puntarenas rose steadily.

How do development practices in Barranca fare in comparison to others in Puntarenas? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Barranca was the 1st-most disconnected out of the 1 cities in Puntarenas. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has not changed. Barranca ranked 1st in 1975, 1st in 1976-1990, 1st in 1991-2000 and 1st in 2001-2014.

Barranca and Costa Rica do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi in Barranca was at its lowest in 1976-1990, while the SNDi of street constructions in Costa Rica rose steadily.

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

Barranca and Puntarenas do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi in Barranca was at its lowest in 1976-1990, while the SNDi of street constructions in Puntarenas rose steadily.

To date, Barranca is the 1st-most disconnected out of the 1 cities in Puntarenas. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has not changed. Barranca ranked 1st in 1975, 1st in 1976-1990, 1st in 1991-2000 and 1st in 2001-2014.

Barranca and Costa Rica do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi in Barranca was at its lowest in 1976-1990, while the SNDi of street constructions in Costa Rica rose steadily.

To date, Barranca is the 3rd-most disconnected out of the 3 cities in Costa Rica. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has not changed. Barranca ranked 3rd in 1975, 3rd in 1976-1990, 3rd in 1991-2000 and 3rd in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Barranca had a built-up area of 6.91 square kilometers, and a population of 61558 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: