Street-network Sprawl in Punto Fijo, 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.

Punto Fijo: city in Falcón, 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 Punto Fijo, Venezuela on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Punto Fijo as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 2.07, which is relatively well-connected.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are 1.88, nan, 3.32 and 4.44. Data was not available in 1976-1990.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Punto Fijo spans a total of 774 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed prior to 1975. These roads have an SNDi of 1.88, 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 1.88, 1.88, 1.97 and 2.07. Overall, the SNDi of the aggregate street network has risen: the street network in Punto Fijo has become more disconnected.

Punto Fijo and Falcón 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 Falcón's street network construction.

How do development practices in Punto Fijo fare in comparison to others in Falcón? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Punto Fijo was the 1st-most disconnected out of the 2 cities in Falcón. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has not changed. Punto Fijo ranked 1st in 1975, 1st in 1991-2000 and 1st in 2001-2014. There was no ranking in 1976-1990 due to unavailable data.

Punto Fijo 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 Punto Fijo fare in comparison to others in Venezuela? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Punto Fijo was the 35th-most disconnected out of the 75 cities in Venezuela. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has risen; relative to other cities in Venezuela, street construction in Punto Fijo has become more disconnected. Punto Fijo ranked 53rd in 1975, 39th in 1991-2000 and 35th in 2001-2014. There was no ranking in 1976-1990 due to unavailable data.

Punto Fijo and Falcón do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi in Punto Fijo rose steadily, while the SNDi of street constructions in Falcón rose steadily.

To date, Punto Fijo is the 1st-most disconnected out of the 2 cities in Falcón. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has not changed. Punto Fijo ranked 1st in 1975, 1st in 1976-1990, 1st in 1991-2000 and 1st in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Punto Fijo is the 52nd-most disconnected out of the 75 cities in Venezuela. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has risen; relative to other cities in Venezuela, the street network in Punto Fijo has become more disconnected. Punto Fijo ranked 53rd in 1975, 53rd in 1976-1990, 53rd in 1991-2000 and 52nd in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Punto Fijo had a built-up area of 35.16 square kilometers, and a population of 277377 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: