Street-network Sprawl in Xuancheng, China

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.

Xuancheng: city in Anhui, China

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 Xuancheng, China on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Xuancheng as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 0.72, which is relatively well-connected.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are 2.5, 0.51, -0.4 and 0.74. The disconnectivity of new streets constructed in Xuancheng fell, then rose. In 1991-2000, new street layouts were the most connected.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Xuancheng spans a total of 239 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed in 2001-2014. These roads have an SNDi of 0.74, 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 2.5, 0.83, 0.69 and 0.72. The SNDi of the aggregate street network in fell at first, but Xuancheng has worsened in disconnectivity since 2000.

Xuancheng and Anhui do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi in Xuancheng was at its lowest in 1991-2000, while the SNDi of street constructions in Anhui fell steadily.

How do development practices in Xuancheng fare in comparison to others in Anhui? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Xuancheng was the 38th-most disconnected out of the 65 cities in Anhui. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Anhui, street construction in Xuancheng has become more connected. Xuancheng ranked 9th in 1975, 48th in 1976-1990, 50th in 1991-2000 and 38th in 2001-2014.

Xuancheng and China do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi in Xuancheng was at its lowest in 1991-2000, while the SNDi of street constructions in China followed a zig-zag trend with an overall decrease.

How do development practices in Xuancheng fare in comparison to others in China? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Xuancheng was the 1096th-most disconnected out of the 1651 cities in China. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in China, street construction in Xuancheng has become more connected. Xuancheng ranked 355th in 1975, 1224th in 1976-1990, 1175th in 1991-2000 and 1096th in 2001-2014.

Xuancheng and Anhui do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi in Xuancheng was at its lowest in 1991-2000, while the SNDi of street constructions in Anhui fell steadily.

To date, Xuancheng is the 43rd-most disconnected out of the 65 cities in Anhui. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Anhui, the street network in Xuancheng has become more connected. Xuancheng ranked 9th in 1975, 40th in 1976-1990, 40th in 1991-2000 and 43rd in 2001-2014.

Xuancheng and China do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi in Xuancheng was at its lowest in 1991-2000, while the SNDi of street constructions in China peaked in 1976-1990.

To date, Xuancheng is the 1353rd-most disconnected out of the 1651 cities in China. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in China, the street network in Xuancheng has become more connected. Xuancheng ranked 355th in 1975, 1215th in 1976-1990, 1288th in 1991-2000 and 1353rd in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Xuancheng had a built-up area of 17.56 square kilometers, and a population of 204592 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: