Street-network Sprawl in Sancti Spiritus, Cuba

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.

Sancti Spiritus: city in Sancti Spíritus, Cuba

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 Sancti Spiritus, Cuba on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Sancti Spiritus as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 1.4, which is relatively well-connected.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are 0.35, 1.84, 3.97 and 2.66. Street construction in Sancti Spiritus 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 Sancti Spiritus spans a total of 194 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed in 1976-1990. These roads have an SNDi of 1.84, 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 0.35, 1.32, 1.38 and 1.4. Overall, the SNDi of the aggregate street network has risen: the street network in Sancti Spiritus has become more disconnected. This increase has slowed: between 1975 and 1976-1990, SNDi rose by 0.97 points, but between 1991-2000 and 2001-2014, it rose by just 0.02.

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

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

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

How do development practices in Sancti Spiritus fare in comparison to others in Cuba? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Sancti Spiritus was the 13th-most disconnected out of the 19 cities in Cuba. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has risen; relative to other cities in Cuba, street construction in Sancti Spiritus has become more disconnected. Sancti Spiritus ranked 16th in 1975, 16th in 1976-1990, 5th in 1991-2000 and 13th in 2001-2014.

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

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

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

To date, Sancti Spiritus is the 6th-most disconnected out of the 19 cities in Cuba. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has risen; relative to other cities in Cuba, the street network in Sancti Spiritus has become more disconnected. Sancti Spiritus ranked 16th in 1975, 6th in 1976-1990, 6th in 1991-2000 and 6th in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Sancti Spiritus had a built-up area of 8.5 square kilometers, and a population of 111414 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: