Street-network Sprawl in Guadalajara, 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.

Guadalajara: city in Castilla-La Mancha, 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 Guadalajara, Spain on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Guadalajara as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 0.7, which is relatively well-connected.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are 0.58, 1.06, 0.88 and 0.08. Street construction in Guadalajara increased in disconnectivity initially but has since improved. The streets constructed in 1976-1990 were the most disconnected.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Guadalajara spans a total of 254 kilometers. The period with the greatest volume of street construction was 1976-1990. These roads have an SNDi of 1.06, 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 0.58, 0.87, 0.87 and 0.7. The aggregate street network in Guadalajara increased in disconnectivity initially,but the trend has turned around after 2000.

Guadalajara and Castilla-La Mancha do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi in Guadalajara peaked in 1976-1990, while the SNDi of street constructions in Castilla-La Mancha peaked in 1991-2000.

How do development practices in Guadalajara fare in comparison to others in Castilla-La Mancha? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Guadalajara was the 4th-most disconnected out of the 4 cities in Castilla-La Mancha. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Castilla-La Mancha, street construction in Guadalajara has become more connected. Guadalajara ranked 1st in 1975, 2nd in 1976-1990, 3rd in 1991-2000 and 4th in 2001-2014.

Guadalajara and Spain do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi in Guadalajara peaked in 1976-1990, while the SNDi of street constructions in Spain peaked in 1991-2000.

How do development practices in Guadalajara fare in comparison to others in Spain? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Guadalajara was the 65th-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 Guadalajara has become more connected. Guadalajara ranked 36th in 1975, 50th in 1976-1990, 52nd in 1991-2000 and 65th in 2001-2014.

Guadalajara and Castilla-La Mancha do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi in Guadalajara peaked in 1991-2000, while the SNDi of street constructions in Castilla-La Mancha rose steadily.

To date, Guadalajara is the 1st-most disconnected out of the 4 cities in Castilla-La Mancha. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has not changed. Guadalajara ranked 1st in 1975, 1st in 1976-1990, 1st in 1991-2000 and 1st in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Guadalajara is the 47th-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 Guadalajara has become more connected. Guadalajara ranked 36th in 1975, 34th in 1976-1990, 36th in 1991-2000 and 47th in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Guadalajara had a built-up area of 9.74 square kilometers, and a population of 72454 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population:

For some related information about population, urban extent and density, and roads, visit the Atlas of Urban Expansion.