Street-network Sprawl in Torrelavega, 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.

Torrelavega: city in Cantabria, 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 Torrelavega, Spain on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Torrelavega as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 1.36, which is relatively well-connected.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are 1.17, 2.19, nan and 1.15. Data was not available in 1991-2000.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Torrelavega spans a total of 226 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed prior to 1975. These roads have an SNDi of 1.17, 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 1.17, 1.37, 1.37 and 1.36. The aggregate street network in Torrelavega increased in disconnectivity initially,but the trend has turned around after 1990.

Torrelavega and Cantabria do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. There was not enough data from the city, while the SNDi of street constructions in Cantabria rose steadily.

How do development practices in Torrelavega fare in comparison to others in Cantabria? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Torrelavega was the 2nd-most disconnected out of the 2 cities in Cantabria. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has not changed. Torrelavega ranked 2nd in 1975, 2nd in 1976-1990 and 2nd in 2001-2014. There was no ranking in 1991-2000 due to unavailable data.

Torrelavega and Spain do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. There was not enough data from the city, while the SNDi of street constructions in Spain peaked in 1991-2000.

How do development practices in Torrelavega fare in comparison to others in Spain? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Torrelavega was the 48th-most disconnected out of the 72 cities in Spain. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has risen; relative to other cities in Spain, street construction in Torrelavega has become more disconnected. Torrelavega ranked 24th in 1975, 20th in 1976-1990 and 48th in 2001-2014. There was no ranking in 1991-2000 due to unavailable data.

Torrelavega and Cantabria do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi in Torrelavega peaked in 1976-1990, while the SNDi of street constructions in Cantabria rose steadily.

To date, Torrelavega is the 2nd-most disconnected out of the 2 cities in Cantabria. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has not changed. Torrelavega ranked 2nd in 1975, 2nd in 1976-1990, 2nd in 1991-2000 and 2nd in 2001-2014.

Torrelavega and Spain do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi in Torrelavega peaked in 1976-1990, while the SNDi of street constructions in Spain rose steadily.

To date, Torrelavega is the 26th-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 Torrelavega has become more connected. Torrelavega ranked 24th in 1975, 24th in 1976-1990, 26th in 1991-2000 and 26th in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Torrelavega had a built-up area of 5.74 square kilometers, and a population of 53440 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: