Street-network Sprawl in San Angelo, 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.

San Angelo: city in Texas, 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 San Angelo, United States on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in San Angelo as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 0.49, which is relatively well-connected.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are 0.48, 0.41, 2.03 and 2.71. The disconnectivity of new streets constructed in San Angelo fell, then rose. In 1976-1990, new street layouts were the most connected.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in San Angelo spans a total of 637 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed prior to 1975. These roads have an SNDi of 0.48, 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 0.48, 0.45, 0.46 and 0.49. The SNDi of the aggregate street network in fell at first, but San Angelo has worsened in disconnectivity since 1990.

San Angelo and Texas do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi in San Angelo was at its lowest in 1976-1990, while the SNDi of street constructions in Texas rose steadily.

How do development practices in San Angelo fare in comparison to others in Texas? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in San Angelo was the 24th-most disconnected out of the 26 cities in Texas. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Texas, street construction in San Angelo has become more connected. San Angelo ranked 23rd in 1975, 26th in 1976-1990, 26th in 1991-2000 and 24th in 2001-2014.

San Angelo and United States do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi in San Angelo was at its lowest in 1976-1990, while the SNDi of street constructions in United States peaked in 1991-2000.

How do development practices in San Angelo fare in comparison to others in United States? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in San Angelo was the 289th-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 San Angelo has become more disconnected. San Angelo ranked 311th in 1975, 314th in 1976-1990, 305th in 1991-2000 and 289th in 2001-2014.

San Angelo and Texas do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi in San Angelo was at its lowest in 1976-1990, while the SNDi of street constructions in Texas rose steadily.

To date, San Angelo is the 26th-most disconnected out of the 26 cities in Texas. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Texas, the street network in San Angelo has become more connected. San Angelo ranked 23rd in 1975, 26th in 1976-1990, 26th in 1991-2000 and 26th in 2001-2014.

San Angelo and United States do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi in San Angelo was at its lowest in 1976-1990, while the SNDi of street constructions in United States rose steadily.

To date, San Angelo is the 315th-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 San Angelo has become more connected. San Angelo ranked 311th in 1975, 315th in 1976-1990, 315th in 1991-2000 and 315th in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, San Angelo had a built-up area of 31.68 square kilometers, and a population of 57491 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: