Street-network Sprawl in Oxnard, United States

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.

Oxnard: city in California, United States

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 Oxnard, United States on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Oxnard as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 2.79, which is in the 40th to 60th percentile of disconnectedness.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are 2.65, 3.36, 3.94 and 2.46. Street construction in Oxnard 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 Oxnard spans a total of 1354 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed prior to 1975. These roads have an SNDi of 2.65, which is in the 40th to 60th percentile of disconnectedness.

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 2.65, 2.81, 2.83 and 2.79. The aggregate street network in Oxnard increased in disconnectivity initially,but the trend has turned around after 2000.

Oxnard and California 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 Oxnard fare in comparison to others in California? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Oxnard was the 45th-most disconnected out of the 48 cities in California. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in California, street construction in Oxnard has become more connected. Oxnard ranked 31st in 1975, 43rd in 1976-1990, 35th in 1991-2000 and 45th in 2001-2014.

Oxnard and United States 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 Oxnard fare in comparison to others in United States? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Oxnard was the 297th-most disconnected out of the 315 cities in United States. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in United States, street construction in Oxnard has become more connected. Oxnard ranked 130th in 1975, 246th in 1976-1990, 256th in 1991-2000 and 297th in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Oxnard is the 43rd-most disconnected out of the 48 cities in California. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in California, the street network in Oxnard has become more connected. Oxnard ranked 31st in 1975, 42nd in 1976-1990, 43rd in 1991-2000 and 43rd in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Oxnard is the 186th-most disconnected out of the 315 cities in United States. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in United States, the street network in Oxnard has become more connected. Oxnard ranked 130th in 1975, 158th in 1976-1990, 173rd in 1991-2000 and 186th in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Oxnard had a built-up area of 97.04 square kilometers, and a population of 297806 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: