Street-network Sprawl in Navarre, 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.

Navarre: city in Florida, 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 Navarre, United States on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Navarre as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 4.79, which is highly disconnected.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are 4.24, 7.1, 6.94 and 9.63. Disconnectivity in street construction in Navarre follows a zig-zag trend. In 1975, street construction was most disconnected, while construction was most connected in 2001-2014.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Navarre spans a total of 815 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed prior to 1975. These roads have an SNDi of 4.24, which is highly disconnected.

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 4.24, 4.61, 4.74 and 4.79. Overall, the SNDi of the aggregate street network has risen: the street network in Navarre has become more disconnected. This increase has slowed: between 1975 and 1976-1990, SNDi rose by 0.37 points, but between 1991-2000 and 2001-2014, it rose by just 0.04.

Navarre and Florida do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi in Navarre followed a zig-zag trend with an overall increase, while the SNDi of street constructions in Florida peaked in 1991-2000.

How do development practices in Navarre fare in comparison to others in Florida? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Navarre was the 1st-most disconnected out of the 24 cities in Florida. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has risen; relative to other cities in Florida, street construction in Navarre has become more disconnected. Navarre ranked 4th in 1975, 4th in 1976-1990, 10th in 1991-2000 and 1st in 2001-2014.

Navarre and United States do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi in Navarre followed a zig-zag trend with an overall increase, while the SNDi of street constructions in United States peaked in 1991-2000.

How do development practices in Navarre fare in comparison to others in United States? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Navarre was the 5th-most disconnected out of the 315 cities in United States. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has risen; relative to other cities in United States, street construction in Navarre has become more disconnected. Navarre ranked 30th in 1975, 18th in 1976-1990, 67th in 1991-2000 and 5th in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Navarre is the 4th-most disconnected out of the 24 cities in Florida. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has not changed. Navarre ranked 4th in 1975, 4th in 1976-1990, 4th in 1991-2000 and 4th in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Navarre is the 29th-most disconnected out of the 315 cities in United States. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has risen; relative to other cities in United States, the street network in Navarre has become more disconnected. Navarre ranked 30th in 1975, 30th in 1976-1990, 28th in 1991-2000 and 29th in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Navarre had a built-up area of 62.12 square kilometers, and a population of 80731 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: