Street-network Sprawl in Changping, 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.

Changping: city in Beijing, 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 Changping, China on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Changping as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 2.9, which is in the 40th to 60th percentile of disconnectedness.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are 2.21, 3.47, nan and 2.41. Data was not available in 1991-2000.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Changping spans a total of 335 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed in 1976-1990. These roads have an SNDi of 3.47, 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 2.21, 2.91, 2.92 and 2.9. The aggregate street network in Changping increased in disconnectivity initially,but the trend has turned around after 2000.

Changping and Beijing do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. There was not enough data from the city, while the SNDi of street constructions in Beijing rose steadily.

How do development practices in Changping fare in comparison to others in Beijing? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Changping was the 5th-most disconnected out of the 9 cities in Beijing. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has risen; relative to other cities in Beijing, street construction in Changping has become more disconnected. Changping ranked 2nd in 1975, 1st in 1976-1990 and 5th in 2001-2014. There was no ranking in 1991-2000 due to unavailable data.

Changping and China do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. There was not enough data from the city, while the SNDi of street constructions in China followed a zig-zag trend with an overall decrease.

How do development practices in Changping fare in comparison to others in China? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Changping was the 533rd-most disconnected out of the 1651 cities in China. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has risen; relative to other cities in China, street construction in Changping has become more disconnected. Changping ranked 434th in 1975, 218th in 1976-1990 and 533rd in 2001-2014. There was no ranking in 1991-2000 due to unavailable data.

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

To date, Changping is the 2nd-most disconnected out of the 9 cities in Beijing. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has not changed. Changping ranked 2nd in 1975, 2nd in 1976-1990, 2nd in 1991-2000 and 2nd in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Changping is the 321st-most disconnected out of the 1651 cities in China. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has risen; relative to other cities in China, the street network in Changping has become more disconnected. Changping ranked 434th in 1975, 315th in 1976-1990, 295th in 1991-2000 and 321st in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Changping had a built-up area of 34.45 square kilometers, and a population of 331110 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: