Street-network Sprawl in Campbelltown, 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.

Campbelltown: city in New South Wales, 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 Campbelltown, Australia on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Campbelltown as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 4.75, which is highly disconnected.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are 4.05, 5.8, 5.71 and 3.67. Street construction in Campbelltown increased in disconnectivity initially but has since improved. The streets constructed in 1976-1990 were the most disconnected.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Campbelltown spans a total of 583 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed prior to 1975. These roads have an SNDi of 4.05, 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 4.05, 4.73, 4.77 and 4.75. The aggregate street network in Campbelltown increased in disconnectivity initially,but the trend has turned around after 2000.

Campbelltown and New South Wales do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi in Campbelltown peaked in 1976-1990, while the SNDi of street constructions in New South Wales peaked in 1991-2000.

How do development practices in Campbelltown fare in comparison to others in New South Wales? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Campbelltown was the 4th-most disconnected out of the 5 cities in New South Wales. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in New South Wales, street construction in Campbelltown has become more connected. Campbelltown ranked 1st in 1975, 3rd in 1976-1990, 2nd in 1991-2000 and 4th in 2001-2014.

Campbelltown and Australia do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi in Campbelltown peaked in 1976-1990, while the SNDi of street constructions in Australia peaked in 1991-2000.

How do development practices in Campbelltown fare in comparison to others in Australia? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Campbelltown was the 16th-most disconnected out of the 27 cities in Australia. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Australia, street construction in Campbelltown has become more connected. Campbelltown ranked 2nd in 1975, 4th in 1976-1990, 9th in 1991-2000 and 16th in 2001-2014.

Campbelltown and New South Wales do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi in Campbelltown peaked in 1991-2000, while the SNDi of street constructions in New South Wales rose steadily.

To date, Campbelltown is the 1st-most disconnected out of the 5 cities in New South Wales. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has not changed. Campbelltown ranked 1st in 1975, 1st in 1976-1990, 1st in 1991-2000 and 1st in 2001-2014.

Campbelltown and Australia do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi in Campbelltown peaked in 1991-2000, while the SNDi of street constructions in Australia rose steadily.

To date, Campbelltown is the 1st-most disconnected out of the 27 cities in Australia. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has risen; relative to other cities in Australia, the street network in Campbelltown has become more disconnected. Campbelltown ranked 2nd in 1975, 1st in 1976-1990, 1st in 1991-2000 and 1st in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Campbelltown had a built-up area of 36.21 square kilometers, and a population of 107633 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: