Street-network Sprawl in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, 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.

Las Palmas de Gran Canaria: city in Islas Canarias, 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 Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 2.05, which is relatively well-connected.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are 2.05, nan, nan and 3.14. Data was not available in 1976-1990 and 1991-2000.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria spans a total of 1128 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed prior to 1975. These roads have an SNDi of 2.05, 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 2.05, 2.05, 2.05 and 2.05. Overall, the SNDi of the aggregate street network has risen: the street network in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria has become more disconnected.

Las Palmas de Gran Canaria and Islas Canarias do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. There was not enough data from the city, as well as the Islas Canarias's street network construction.

How do development practices in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria fare in comparison to others in Islas Canarias? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria was the 1st-most disconnected out of the 6 cities in Islas Canarias. Las Palmas de Gran Canaria ranked 2nd in 1975 and 1st in 2001-2014. There was no ranking in 1976-1990 and 1991-2000 due to unavailable data.

Las Palmas de Gran Canaria 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 Las Palmas de Gran Canaria fare in comparison to others in Spain? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria was the 17th-most disconnected out of the 72 cities in Spain. Las Palmas de Gran Canaria ranked 9th in 1975 and 17th in 2001-2014. There was no ranking in 1976-1990 and 1991-2000 due to unavailable data.

Las Palmas de Gran Canaria and Islas Canarias do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria rose steadily, while the SNDi of street constructions in Islas Canarias rose steadily.

To date, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria is the 2nd-most disconnected out of the 6 cities in Islas Canarias. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has not changed. Las Palmas de Gran Canaria ranked 2nd in 1975, 2nd in 1976-1990, 2nd in 1991-2000 and 2nd in 2001-2014.

Las Palmas de Gran Canaria and Spain do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria rose steadily, while the SNDi of street constructions in Spain rose steadily.

To date, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria is the 9th-most disconnected out of the 72 cities in Spain. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has not changed. Las Palmas de Gran Canaria ranked 9th in 1975, 9th in 1976-1990, 9th in 1991-2000 and 9th in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria had a built-up area of 24.98 square kilometers, and a population of 443141 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: