Street-network Sprawl in Cremona, Italy

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.

Cremona: city in Lombardia, Italy

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 Cremona, Italy on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Cremona as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 0.68, which is relatively well-connected.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are 0.58, 2.26, 0.29 and 1.04. Disconnectivity in street construction in Cremona follows a zig-zag trend. In 1991-2000, street construction was most disconnected, while construction was most connected in 1976-1990.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Cremona spans a total of 187 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed prior to 1975. These roads have an SNDi of 0.58, 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 0.58, 0.69, 0.68 and 0.68. Disconnectivity in Cremona's street network follows a zig-zag trend. In 1975, the city was most disconnected; while it was most connected in 1976-1990.

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

How do development practices in Cremona fare in comparison to others in Lombardia? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Cremona was the 10th-most disconnected out of the 11 cities in Lombardia. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has risen; relative to other cities in Lombardia, street construction in Cremona has become more disconnected. Cremona ranked 11th in 1975, 10th in 1976-1990, 9th in 1991-2000 and 10th in 2001-2014.

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

How do development practices in Cremona fare in comparison to others in Italy? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Cremona was the 77th-most disconnected out of the 91 cities in Italy. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has not changed. Cremona ranked 77th in 1975, 65th in 1976-1990, 74th in 1991-2000 and 77th in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Cremona is the 11th-most disconnected out of the 11 cities in Lombardia. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has not changed. Cremona ranked 11th in 1975, 11th in 1976-1990, 11th in 1991-2000 and 11th in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Cremona is the 79th-most disconnected out of the 91 cities in Italy. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Italy, the street network in Cremona has become more connected. Cremona ranked 77th in 1975, 79th in 1976-1990, 79th in 1991-2000 and 79th in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Cremona had a built-up area of 8.44 square kilometers, and a population of 55710 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: