Street-network Sprawl in Tilburg, Netherlands

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.

Tilburg: city in Noord-Brabant, Netherlands

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 Tilburg, Netherlands on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Tilburg as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 1.43, which is relatively well-connected.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are 1.33, 1.84, 1.12 and 2.25. Disconnectivity in street construction in Tilburg follows a zig-zag trend. In 1991-2000, street construction was most disconnected, while construction was most connected in 2001-2014.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Tilburg spans a total of 927 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed prior to 1975. These roads have an SNDi of 1.33, which is relatively 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 1.33, 1.41, 1.37 and 1.43. Disconnectivity in Tilburg's street network follows a zig-zag trend. In 1975, the city was most disconnected; while it was most connected in 2001-2014.

Tilburg and Noord-Brabant follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi for both of these followed a zig-zag trend with an overall increase.

How do development practices in Tilburg fare in comparison to others in Noord-Brabant? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Tilburg was the 2nd-most disconnected out of the 6 cities in Noord-Brabant. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has risen; relative to other cities in Noord-Brabant, street construction in Tilburg has become more disconnected. Tilburg ranked 3rd in 1975, 4th in 1976-1990, 6th in 1991-2000 and 2nd in 2001-2014.

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

How do development practices in Tilburg fare in comparison to others in Netherlands? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Tilburg was the 13th-most disconnected out of the 37 cities in Netherlands. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has risen; relative to other cities in Netherlands, street construction in Tilburg has become more disconnected. Tilburg ranked 17th in 1975, 20th in 1976-1990, 35th in 1991-2000 and 13th in 2001-2014.

Tilburg and Noord-Brabant do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi in Tilburg followed a zig-zag trend with an overall increase, while the SNDi of street constructions in Noord-Brabant rose steadily.

To date, Tilburg is the 3rd-most disconnected out of the 6 cities in Noord-Brabant. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has not changed. Tilburg ranked 3rd in 1975, 3rd in 1976-1990, 3rd in 1991-2000 and 3rd in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Tilburg is the 21st-most disconnected out of the 37 cities in Netherlands. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Netherlands, the street network in Tilburg has become more connected. Tilburg ranked 17th in 1975, 18th in 1976-1990, 20th in 1991-2000 and 21st in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Tilburg had a built-up area of 36.17 square kilometers, and a population of 196360 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: