Street-network Sprawl in Acámbaro, Mexico

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.

Acámbaro: city in Guanajuato, Mexico

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 Acámbaro, Mexico on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Acámbaro as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 2.03, which is relatively well-connected.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are 1.22, 2.4, 2.28 and 4.36. Disconnectivity in street construction in Acámbaro follows a zig-zag trend. In 1975, street construction was most disconnected, while construction was most connected in 2001-2014.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Acámbaro spans a total of 172 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed in 1976-1990. These roads have an SNDi of 2.4, 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 1.22, 1.92, 2.0 and 2.03. Overall, the SNDi of the aggregate street network has risen: the street network in Acámbaro has become more disconnected. This increase has slowed: between 1975 and 1976-1990, SNDi rose by 0.7 points, but between 1991-2000 and 2001-2014, it rose by just 0.03.

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

How do development practices in Acámbaro fare in comparison to others in Guanajuato? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Acámbaro was the 7th-most disconnected out of the 15 cities in Guanajuato. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has risen; relative to other cities in Guanajuato, street construction in Acámbaro has become more disconnected. Acámbaro ranked 8th in 1975, 7th in 1976-1990, 12th in 1991-2000 and 7th in 2001-2014.

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

How do development practices in Acámbaro fare in comparison to others in Mexico? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Acámbaro was the 45th-most disconnected out of the 166 cities in Mexico. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has risen; relative to other cities in Mexico, street construction in Acámbaro has become more disconnected. Acámbaro ranked 62nd in 1975, 52nd in 1976-1990, 93rd in 1991-2000 and 45th in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Acámbaro is the 9th-most disconnected out of the 15 cities in Guanajuato. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Guanajuato, the street network in Acámbaro has become more connected. Acámbaro ranked 8th in 1975, 8th in 1976-1990, 9th in 1991-2000 and 9th in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Acámbaro is the 78th-most disconnected out of the 166 cities in Mexico. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Mexico, the street network in Acámbaro has become more connected. Acámbaro ranked 62nd in 1975, 60th in 1976-1990, 64th in 1991-2000 and 78th in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Acámbaro had a built-up area of 6.96 square kilometers, and a population of 55882 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: