Street-network Sprawl in Seville, Spain

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.

Seville: city in Andalucía, Spain

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 Seville, Spain on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Seville as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 1.1, which is relatively well-connected.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are 0.96, 1.42, 1.43 and 1.72. In each period, new street development in Seville steadily grows more disconnected than in the last. This increase has slowed: between 1975 and 1976-1990, SNDi rose by 0.47 points, but between 1991-2000 and 2001-2014, it rose by just 0.29.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Seville spans a total of 2199 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed prior to 1975. These roads have an SNDi of 0.96, 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 0.96, 1.04, 1.07 and 1.1. Overall, the SNDi of the aggregate street network has risen: the street network in Seville has become more disconnected. This increase has slowed: between 1975 and 1976-1990, SNDi rose by 0.09 points, but between 1991-2000 and 2001-2014, it rose by just 0.03.

Seville and Andalucía 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 Seville fare in comparison to others in Andalucía? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Seville was the 7th-most disconnected out of the 14 cities in Andalucía. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Andalucía, street construction in Seville has become more connected. Seville ranked 6th in 1975, 8th in 1976-1990, 7th in 1991-2000 and 7th in 2001-2014.

Seville and Spain do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi in Seville rose steadily, while the SNDi of street constructions in Spain peaked in 1991-2000.

How do development practices in Seville fare in comparison to others in Spain? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Seville was the 36th-most disconnected out of the 72 cities in Spain. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Spain, street construction in Seville has become more connected. Seville ranked 27th in 1975, 38th in 1976-1990, 42nd in 1991-2000 and 36th in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Seville is the 6th-most disconnected out of the 14 cities in Andalucía. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has not changed. Seville ranked 6th in 1975, 6th in 1976-1990, 6th in 1991-2000 and 6th in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Seville is the 29th-most disconnected out of the 72 cities in Spain. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Spain, the street network in Seville has become more connected. Seville ranked 27th in 1975, 28th in 1976-1990, 29th in 1991-2000 and 29th in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Seville had a built-up area of 74.3 square kilometers, and a population of 861042 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: