Street-network Sprawl in Belconnen, Australia

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.

Belconnen: city in Australian Capital Territory, Australia

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 Belconnen, Australia on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Belconnen as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 1.66, which is relatively well-connected.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are 1.53, 1.85, 1.23 and 1.33. Disconnectivity in street construction in Belconnen follows a zig-zag trend. In 1991-2000, street construction was most disconnected, while construction was most connected in 1976-1990.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Belconnen spans a total of 513 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed in 1976-1990. These roads have an SNDi of 1.85, 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 1.53, 1.7, 1.68 and 1.66. The aggregate street network in Belconnen increased in disconnectivity initially,but the trend has turned around after 1990.

Belconnen and Australian Capital Territory do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi in Belconnen followed a zig-zag trend with an overall decrease, while the SNDi of street constructions in Australian Capital Territory peaked in 1991-2000.

How do development practices in Belconnen fare in comparison to others in Australian Capital Territory? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Belconnen was the 1st-most disconnected out of the 2 cities in Australian Capital Territory. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has risen; relative to other cities in Australian Capital Territory, street construction in Belconnen has become more disconnected. Belconnen ranked 2nd in 1975, 2nd in 1976-1990, 1st in 1991-2000 and 1st in 2001-2014.

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

How do development practices in Belconnen fare in comparison to others in Australia? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Belconnen was the 23rd-most disconnected out of the 27 cities in Australia. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has risen; relative to other cities in Australia, street construction in Belconnen has become more disconnected. Belconnen ranked 24th in 1975, 27th in 1976-1990, 25th in 1991-2000 and 23rd in 2001-2014.

Belconnen and Australian Capital Territory do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi in Belconnen peaked in 1976-1990, while the SNDi of street constructions in Australian Capital Territory peaked in 1991-2000.

To date, Belconnen is the 2nd-most disconnected out of the 2 cities in Australian Capital Territory. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has not changed. Belconnen ranked 2nd in 1975, 2nd in 1976-1990, 2nd in 1991-2000 and 2nd in 2001-2014.

Belconnen and Australia do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi in Belconnen peaked in 1976-1990, while the SNDi of street constructions in Australia rose steadily.

To date, Belconnen is the 27th-most disconnected out of the 27 cities in Australia. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Australia, the street network in Belconnen has become more connected. Belconnen ranked 24th in 1975, 26th in 1976-1990, 26th in 1991-2000 and 27th in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Belconnen had a built-up area of 28.01 square kilometers, and a population of 73525 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: