Street-network Sprawl in San Luis Río Colorado, 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.

San Luis Río Colorado: 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 San Luis Río Colorado, Mexico on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in San Luis Río Colorado as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 0.25, which is very well-connected.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are -0.58, -0.19, 0.67 and 1.25. In each period, new street development in San Luis Río Colorado steadily grows more disconnected than in the last.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in San Luis Río Colorado spans a total of 644 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed in 1976-1990. These roads have an SNDi of -0.19, 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 -0.58, -0.2, -0.01 and 0.25. Overall, the SNDi of the aggregate street network has risen: the street network in San Luis Río Colorado has become more disconnected. This increase has slowed: between 1975 and 1976-1990, SNDi rose by 0.38 points, but between 1991-2000 and 2001-2014, it rose by just 0.26.

San Luis Río Colorado and Sonora 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 San Luis Río Colorado fare in comparison to others in Sonora? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in San Luis Río Colorado was the 5th-most disconnected out of the 9 cities in Sonora. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has risen; relative to other cities in Sonora, street construction in San Luis Río Colorado has become more disconnected. San Luis Río Colorado ranked 8th in 1975, 9th in 1976-1990, 7th in 1991-2000 and 5th in 2001-2014.

San Luis Río Colorado 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 San Luis Río Colorado fare in comparison to others in Mexico? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in San Luis Río Colorado was the 152nd-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 San Luis Río Colorado has become more connected. San Luis Río Colorado ranked 148th in 1975, 162nd in 1976-1990, 154th in 1991-2000 and 152nd in 2001-2014.

San Luis Río Colorado and Sonora follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi for both of these rose steadily.

To date, San Luis Río Colorado is the 7th-most disconnected out of the 9 cities in Sonora. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has risen; relative to other cities in Sonora, the street network in San Luis Río Colorado has become more disconnected. San Luis Río Colorado ranked 8th in 1975, 9th in 1976-1990, 8th in 1991-2000 and 7th in 2001-2014.

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

To date, San Luis Río Colorado is the 163rd-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 San Luis Río Colorado has become more connected. San Luis Río Colorado ranked 148th in 1975, 162nd in 1976-1990, 162nd in 1991-2000 and 163rd in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, San Luis Río Colorado had a built-up area of 43.86 square kilometers, and a population of 195368 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: