Street-network Sprawl in Vigevano, 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.

Vigevano: 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 Vigevano, Italy on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Vigevano as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 2.69, 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 2.68, 3.12, -0.13 and 1.16. Disconnectivity in street construction in Vigevano 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 Vigevano spans a total of 184 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed prior to 1975. These roads have an SNDi of 2.68, 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 2.68, 2.72, 2.72 and 2.69. The aggregate street network in Vigevano increased in disconnectivity initially,but the trend has turned around after 1990.

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

How do development practices in Vigevano fare in comparison to others in Lombardia? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Vigevano was the 9th-most disconnected out of the 11 cities in Lombardia. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Lombardia, street construction in Vigevano has become more connected. Vigevano ranked 3rd in 1975, 6th in 1976-1990, 10th in 1991-2000 and 9th in 2001-2014.

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

How do development practices in Vigevano fare in comparison to others in Italy? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Vigevano was the 75th-most disconnected out of the 91 cities in Italy. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Italy, street construction in Vigevano has become more connected. Vigevano ranked 15th in 1975, 46th in 1976-1990, 75th in 1991-2000 and 75th in 2001-2014.

Vigevano and Lombardia do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi in Vigevano peaked in 1976-1990, while the SNDi of street constructions in Lombardia rose steadily.

To date, Vigevano is the 5th-most disconnected out of the 11 cities in Lombardia. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Lombardia, the street network in Vigevano has become more connected. Vigevano ranked 3rd in 1975, 5th in 1976-1990, 5th in 1991-2000 and 5th in 2001-2014.

Vigevano and Italy do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi in Vigevano peaked in 1976-1990, while the SNDi of street constructions in Italy rose steadily.

To date, Vigevano is the 24th-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 Vigevano has become more connected. Vigevano ranked 15th in 1975, 20th in 1976-1990, 21st in 1991-2000 and 24th in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Vigevano had a built-up area of 9.87 square kilometers, and a population of 52867 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: