Street-network Sprawl in Salamá, Guatemala

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.

Salamá: city in Baja Verapaz, Guatemala

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 Salamá, Guatemala on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Salamá as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 2.52, 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 2.4, 2.03, 5.58 and 2.49. Disconnectivity in street construction in Salamá follows a zig-zag trend. In 1976-1990, street construction was most disconnected, while construction was most connected in 1991-2000.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Salamá spans a total of 87 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed in 1976-1990. These roads have an SNDi of 2.03, 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 2.4, 2.25, 2.52 and 2.52. The SNDi of the aggregate street network in fell at first, but Salamá has worsened in disconnectivity since 1990.

Salamá and Baja Verapaz do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi in Salamá followed a zig-zag trend with an overall increase, while the SNDi of street constructions in Baja Verapaz peaked in 1991-2000.

How do development practices in Salamá fare in comparison to others in Baja Verapaz? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Salamá was the 3rd-most disconnected out of the 3 cities in Baja Verapaz. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Baja Verapaz, street construction in Salamá has become more connected. Salamá ranked 1st in 1975, 2nd in 1976-1990, 1st in 1991-2000 and 3rd in 2001-2014.

Salamá and Guatemala do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi in Salamá followed a zig-zag trend with an overall increase, while the SNDi of street constructions in Guatemala rose steadily.

How do development practices in Salamá fare in comparison to others in Guatemala? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Salamá was the 28th-most disconnected out of the 45 cities in Guatemala. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Guatemala, street construction in Salamá has become more connected. Salamá ranked 12th in 1975, 26th in 1976-1990, 8th in 1991-2000 and 28th in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Salamá is the 1st-most disconnected out of the 3 cities in Baja Verapaz. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has not changed. Salamá ranked 1st in 1975, 1st in 1976-1990, 1st in 1991-2000 and 1st in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Salamá is the 27th-most disconnected out of the 45 cities in Guatemala. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Guatemala, the street network in Salamá has become more connected. Salamá ranked 12th in 1975, 24th in 1976-1990, 23rd in 1991-2000 and 27th in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Salamá had a built-up area of 2.44 square kilometers, and a population of 52544 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: