Street-network Sprawl in Ghent, Belgium

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.

Ghent: city in Vlaanderen, Belgium

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 Ghent, Belgium on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Ghent as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 1.87, which is relatively well-connected.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are 1.66, 3.03, 4.66 and 3.56. Street construction in Ghent increased in disconnectivity initially but has since improved. The streets constructed in 1991-2000 were the most disconnected.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Ghent spans a total of 1414 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed prior to 1975. These roads have an SNDi of 1.66, 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 1.66, 1.76, 1.83 and 1.87. Overall, the SNDi of the aggregate street network has risen: the street network in Ghent has become more disconnected. This increase has slowed: between 1975 and 1976-1990, SNDi rose by 0.1 points, but between 1991-2000 and 2001-2014, it rose by just 0.04.

Ghent and Vlaanderen do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi in Ghent peaked in 1991-2000, while the SNDi of street constructions in Vlaanderen rose steadily.

How do development practices in Ghent fare in comparison to others in Vlaanderen? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Ghent was the 4th-most disconnected out of the 8 cities in Vlaanderen. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Vlaanderen, street construction in Ghent has become more connected. Ghent ranked 2nd in 1975, 5th in 1976-1990, 1st in 1991-2000 and 4th in 2001-2014.

Ghent and Belgium do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi in Ghent peaked in 1991-2000, while the SNDi of street constructions in Belgium rose steadily.

How do development practices in Ghent fare in comparison to others in Belgium? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Ghent was the 6th-most disconnected out of the 12 cities in Belgium. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Belgium, street construction in Ghent has become more connected. Ghent ranked 4th in 1975, 7th in 1976-1990, 3rd in 1991-2000 and 6th in 2001-2014.

Ghent and Vlaanderen follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi for both of these rose steadily.

To date, Ghent is the 3rd-most disconnected out of the 8 cities in Vlaanderen. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Vlaanderen, the street network in Ghent has become more connected. Ghent ranked 2nd in 1975, 3rd in 1976-1990, 3rd in 1991-2000 and 3rd in 2001-2014.

Ghent and Belgium follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi for both of these rose steadily.

To date, Ghent is the 4th-most disconnected out of the 12 cities in Belgium. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has not changed. Ghent ranked 4th in 1975, 4th in 1976-1990, 4th in 1991-2000 and 4th in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Ghent had a built-up area of 107.47 square kilometers, and a population of 263643 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: