Street-network Sprawl in Novara, 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.

Novara: city in Piemonte, 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 Novara, Italy on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Novara as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 1.79, which is relatively well-connected.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are 1.67, 3.03, 1.5 and 2.41. Disconnectivity in street construction in Novara 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 Novara spans a total of 251 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed prior to 1975. These roads have an SNDi of 1.67, 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 1.67, 1.78, 1.78 and 1.79. Disconnectivity in Novara's street network follows a zig-zag trend. In 1975, the city was most disconnected; while it was most connected in 2001-2014.

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

How do development practices in Novara fare in comparison to others in Piemonte? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Novara was the 1st-most disconnected out of the 4 cities in Piemonte. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has not changed. Novara ranked 1st in 1975, 3rd in 1976-1990, 4th in 1991-2000 and 1st in 2001-2014.

Novara and Italy do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi in Novara 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 Novara fare in comparison to others in Italy? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Novara was the 59th-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 Novara has become more connected. Novara ranked 42nd in 1975, 49th in 1976-1990, 68th in 1991-2000 and 59th in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Novara is the 1st-most disconnected out of the 4 cities in Piemonte. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has not changed. Novara ranked 1st in 1975, 1st in 1976-1990, 1st in 1991-2000 and 1st in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Novara is the 55th-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 Novara has become more connected. Novara ranked 42nd in 1975, 52nd in 1976-1990, 55th in 1991-2000 and 55th in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Novara had a built-up area of 12.51 square kilometers, and a population of 87562 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: