Street-network Sprawl in Puerto Peñasco, 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.

Puerto Peñasco: city in Sonora, 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 Puerto Peñasco, Mexico on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Puerto Peñasco as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is -0.01, which is very well-connected.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are 1.71, -0.16, 0.03 and 0.4. The disconnectivity of new streets constructed in Puerto Peñasco fell, then rose. In 1976-1990, new street layouts were the most connected.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Puerto Peñasco spans a total of 287 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed in 1976-1990. These roads have an SNDi of -0.16, which is very 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 1.71, -0.11, -0.1 and -0.01. The SNDi of the aggregate street network in fell at first, but Puerto Peñasco has worsened in disconnectivity since 1990.

Puerto Peñasco and Sonora do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi in Puerto Peñasco was at its lowest in 1976-1990, while the SNDi of street constructions in Sonora rose steadily.

How do development practices in Puerto Peñasco fare in comparison to others in Sonora? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Puerto Peñasco was the 7th-most disconnected out of the 9 cities in Sonora. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Sonora, street construction in Puerto Peñasco has become more connected. Puerto Peñasco ranked 2nd in 1975, 8th in 1976-1990, 8th in 1991-2000 and 7th in 2001-2014.

Puerto Peñasco and Mexico do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi in Puerto Peñasco was at its lowest in 1976-1990, while the SNDi of street constructions in Mexico rose steadily.

How do development practices in Puerto Peñasco fare in comparison to others in Mexico? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Puerto Peñasco was the 159th-most disconnected out of the 166 cities in Mexico. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Mexico, street construction in Puerto Peñasco has become more connected. Puerto Peñasco ranked 41st in 1975, 161st in 1976-1990, 162nd in 1991-2000 and 159th in 2001-2014.

Puerto Peñasco and Sonora do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi in Puerto Peñasco was at its lowest in 1976-1990, while the SNDi of street constructions in Sonora rose steadily.

To date, Puerto Peñasco is the 9th-most disconnected out of the 9 cities in Sonora. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Sonora, the street network in Puerto Peñasco has become more connected. Puerto Peñasco ranked 2nd in 1975, 8th in 1976-1990, 9th in 1991-2000 and 9th in 2001-2014.

Puerto Peñasco and Mexico do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi in Puerto Peñasco was at its lowest in 1976-1990, while the SNDi of street constructions in Mexico rose steadily.

To date, Puerto Peñasco is the 165th-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 Puerto Peñasco has become more connected. Puerto Peñasco ranked 41st in 1975, 161st in 1976-1990, 164th in 1991-2000 and 165th in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Puerto Peñasco had a built-up area of 12.76 square kilometers, and a population of 66491 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: