Street-network Sprawl in Coatepec, 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.

Coatepec: city in Veracruz, 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 Coatepec, Mexico on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Coatepec as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 3.6, which is highly disconnected.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are 15.18, 3.09, 4.9 and 4.4. Disconnectivity in street construction in Coatepec follows a zig-zag trend. In 1976-1990, street construction was most disconnected, while construction was most connected in 1975.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Coatepec spans a total of 119 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed in 1976-1990. These roads have an SNDi of 3.09, 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 15.18, 3.13, 3.43 and 3.6. The SNDi of the aggregate street network in fell at first, but Coatepec has worsened in disconnectivity since 1990.

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

How do development practices in Coatepec fare in comparison to others in Veracruz? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Coatepec was the 9th-most disconnected out of the 15 cities in Veracruz. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Veracruz, street construction in Coatepec has become more connected. Coatepec ranked 1st in 1975, 2nd in 1976-1990, 3rd in 1991-2000 and 9th in 2001-2014.

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

How do development practices in Coatepec fare in comparison to others in Mexico? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Coatepec was the 44th-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 Coatepec has become more connected. Coatepec ranked 1st in 1975, 25th in 1976-1990, 13th in 1991-2000 and 44th in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Coatepec is the 2nd-most disconnected out of the 15 cities in Veracruz. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Veracruz, the street network in Coatepec has become more connected. Coatepec ranked 1st in 1975, 1st in 1976-1990, 2nd in 1991-2000 and 2nd in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Coatepec is the 15th-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 Coatepec has become more connected. Coatepec ranked 1st in 1975, 16th in 1976-1990, 17th in 1991-2000 and 15th in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Coatepec had a built-up area of 4.85 square kilometers, and a population of 56946 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: