Street-network Sprawl in Grosseto, 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.

Grosseto: city in Toscana, 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 Grosseto, Italy on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Grosseto as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 1.54, which is relatively well-connected.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are 1.3, 3.08, 2.42 and 2.57. Disconnectivity in street construction in Grosseto follows a zig-zag trend. In 1975, street construction was most disconnected, while construction was most connected in 1976-1990.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Grosseto spans a total of 192 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed prior to 1975. These roads have an SNDi of 1.3, 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 1.3, 1.43, 1.51 and 1.54. Overall, the SNDi of the aggregate street network has risen: the street network in Grosseto has become more disconnected. This increase has slowed: between 1975 and 1976-1990, SNDi rose by 0.12 points, but between 1991-2000 and 2001-2014, it rose by just 0.03.

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

How do development practices in Grosseto fare in comparison to others in Toscana? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Grosseto was the 7th-most disconnected out of the 9 cities in Toscana. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Toscana, street construction in Grosseto has become more connected. Grosseto ranked 6th in 1975, 3rd in 1976-1990, 6th in 1991-2000 and 7th in 2001-2014.

Grosseto and Italy do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi in Grosseto 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 Grosseto fare in comparison to others in Italy? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Grosseto was the 56th-most disconnected out of the 91 cities in Italy. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has risen; relative to other cities in Italy, street construction in Grosseto has become more disconnected. Grosseto ranked 62nd in 1975, 48th in 1976-1990, 57th in 1991-2000 and 56th in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Grosseto is the 7th-most disconnected out of the 9 cities in Toscana. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Toscana, the street network in Grosseto has become more connected. Grosseto ranked 6th in 1975, 7th in 1976-1990, 7th in 1991-2000 and 7th in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Grosseto is the 65th-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 Grosseto has become more connected. Grosseto ranked 62nd in 1975, 66th in 1976-1990, 66th in 1991-2000 and 65th in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Grosseto had a built-up area of 7.92 square kilometers, and a population of 60055 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: