Street-network Sprawl in Huairou, 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.

Huairou: 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 Huairou, China on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Huairou as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 1.65, which is relatively well-connected.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are 1.62, 1.53, 2.87 and 2.19. Disconnectivity in street construction in Huairou follows a zig-zag trend. In 1976-1990, street construction was most disconnected, while construction was most connected in 1991-2000.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Huairou spans a total of 288 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed in 1976-1990. These roads have an SNDi of 1.53, 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 1.62, 1.53, 1.55 and 1.65. The SNDi of the aggregate street network in fell at first, but Huairou has worsened in disconnectivity since 1990.

Huairou and Beijing do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi in Huairou followed a zig-zag trend with an overall increase, while the SNDi of street constructions in Beijing rose steadily.

How do development practices in Huairou fare in comparison to others in Beijing? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Huairou was the 6th-most disconnected out of the 9 cities in Beijing. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Beijing, street construction in Huairou has become more connected. Huairou ranked 5th in 1975, 6th in 1976-1990, 1st in 1991-2000 and 6th in 2001-2014.

Huairou and China do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi in Huairou followed a zig-zag trend with an overall increase, while the SNDi of street constructions in China followed a zig-zag trend with an overall decrease.

How do development practices in Huairou fare in comparison to others in China? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Huairou was the 604th-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 Huairou has become more disconnected. Huairou ranked 618th in 1975, 859th in 1976-1990, 259th in 1991-2000 and 604th in 2001-2014.

Huairou and Beijing do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi in Huairou was at its lowest in 1976-1990, while the SNDi of street constructions in Beijing rose steadily.

To date, Huairou is the 6th-most disconnected out of the 9 cities in Beijing. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Beijing, the street network in Huairou has become more connected. Huairou ranked 5th in 1975, 6th in 1976-1990, 6th in 1991-2000 and 6th in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Huairou is the 879th-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 Huairou has become more connected. Huairou ranked 618th in 1975, 873rd in 1976-1990, 875th in 1991-2000 and 879th in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Huairou had a built-up area of 29.65 square kilometers, and a population of 253374 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: