Street-network Sprawl in Reus, 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.

Reus: city in Cataluña, 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 Reus, Spain on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Reus as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 0.5, which is relatively well-connected.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are 0.46, 0.67, 2.89 and 1.05. Street construction in Reus increased in disconnectivity initially but has since improved. The streets constructed in 1991-2000 were the most disconnected.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Reus spans a total of 277 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed prior to 1975. These roads have an SNDi of 0.46, 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 0.46, 0.48, 0.48 and 0.5. Overall, the SNDi of the aggregate street network has risen: the street network in Reus has become more disconnected. This increase has slowed: between 1975 and 1976-1990, SNDi rose by 0.02 points, but between 1991-2000 and 2001-2014, it rose by just 0.02.

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

How do development practices in Reus fare in comparison to others in Cataluña? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Reus was the 7th-most disconnected out of the 9 cities in Cataluña. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Cataluña, street construction in Reus has become more connected. Reus ranked 4th in 1975, 7th in 1976-1990, 2nd in 1991-2000 and 7th in 2001-2014.

Reus and Spain follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi for both of these peaked in 1991-2000.

How do development practices in Reus fare in comparison to others in Spain? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Reus was the 52nd-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 Reus has become more connected. Reus ranked 44th in 1975, 59th in 1976-1990, 23rd in 1991-2000 and 52nd in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Reus is the 6th-most disconnected out of the 9 cities in Cataluña. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Cataluña, the street network in Reus has become more connected. Reus ranked 4th in 1975, 5th in 1976-1990, 5th in 1991-2000 and 6th in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Reus is the 55th-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 Reus has become more connected. Reus ranked 44th in 1975, 53rd in 1976-1990, 55th in 1991-2000 and 55th in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Reus had a built-up area of 9.17 square kilometers, and a population of 85444 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: