Street-network Sprawl in León, 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.

León: 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 León, Mexico on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in León 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 0.68, 1.78, 2.11 and 3.35. In each period, new street development in León steadily grows more disconnected than in the last.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in León spans a total of 3250 kilometers. The period with the greatest volume of street construction was 2001-2014. These roads have an SNDi of 3.35, which is highly disconnected.

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 0.68, 1.27, 1.52 and 2.03. Overall, the SNDi of the aggregate street network has risen: the street network in León has become more disconnected. This increase has slowed: between 1975 and 1976-1990, SNDi rose by 0.59 points, but between 1991-2000 and 2001-2014, it rose by just 0.5.

León and Guanajuato follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi for both of these rose steadily.

How do development practices in León fare in comparison to others in Guanajuato? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in León was the 12th-most disconnected out of the 15 cities in Guanajuato. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Guanajuato, street construction in León has become more connected. León ranked 10th in 1975, 11th in 1976-1990, 13th in 1991-2000 and 12th in 2001-2014.

León and Mexico follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi for both of these rose steadily.

How do development practices in León fare in comparison to others in Mexico? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in León was the 89th-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 León has become more disconnected. León ranked 90th in 1975, 89th in 1976-1990, 98th in 1991-2000 and 89th in 2001-2014.

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

To date, León is the 10th-most disconnected out of the 15 cities in Guanajuato. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has not changed. León ranked 10th in 1975, 12th in 1976-1990, 12th in 1991-2000 and 10th in 2001-2014.

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

To date, León is the 79th-most disconnected out of the 166 cities in Mexico. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has risen; relative to other cities in Mexico, the street network in León has become more disconnected. León ranked 90th in 1975, 100th in 1976-1990, 96th in 1991-2000 and 79th in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, León had a built-up area of 113.66 square kilometers, and a population of 1510974 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: