Street-network Sprawl in Sabana de Parra, Venezuela

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.

Sabana de Parra: city in Yaracuy, Venezuela

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 Sabana de Parra, Venezuela on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Sabana de Parra as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 1.08, which is relatively well-connected.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are 1.06, nan, 2.16 and nan. Data was not available in 1976-1990 and 2001-2014.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Sabana de Parra spans a total of 80 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed prior to 1975. These roads have an SNDi of 1.06, 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 1.06, 1.06, 1.07 and 1.08. Overall, the SNDi of the aggregate street network has risen: the street network in Sabana de Parra has become more disconnected.

Sabana de Parra and Yaracuy 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 Yaracuy's street network construction.

How do development practices in Sabana de Parra fare in comparison to others in Yaracuy? out of the 2 cities in Yaracuy. Sabana de Parra ranked 2nd in 1975 and 2nd in 1991-2000. There was no ranking in 1976-1990 and 2001-2014 due to unavailable data.

Sabana de Parra and Venezuela 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 Venezuela's street network construction.

How do development practices in Sabana de Parra fare in comparison to others in Venezuela? out of the 75 cities in Venezuela. Sabana de Parra ranked 68th in 1975 and 53rd in 1991-2000. There was no ranking in 1976-1990 and 2001-2014 due to unavailable data.

Sabana de Parra and Yaracuy do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi in Sabana de Parra rose steadily, while the SNDi of street constructions in Yaracuy rose steadily.

To date, Sabana de Parra is the 2nd-most disconnected out of the 2 cities in Yaracuy. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has not changed. Sabana de Parra ranked 2nd in 1975, 2nd in 1976-1990, 2nd in 1991-2000 and 2nd in 2001-2014.

Sabana de Parra and Venezuela do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi in Sabana de Parra rose steadily, while the SNDi of street constructions in Venezuela rose steadily.

To date, Sabana de Parra is the 71st-most disconnected out of the 75 cities in Venezuela. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Venezuela, the street network in Sabana de Parra has become more connected. Sabana de Parra ranked 68th in 1975, 68th in 1976-1990, 70th in 1991-2000 and 71st in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Sabana de Parra had a built-up area of 1.61 square kilometers, and a population of 53619 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: