Street-network Sprawl in Shuanglong, 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.

Shuanglong: city in Chongqing, 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 Shuanglong, China on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Shuanglong as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is -0.05, which is very well-connected.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are -1.77, nan, 0.26 and nan. Data was not available in 1976-1990 and 2001-2014.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Shuanglong spans a total of 44 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed in 2001-2014. These roads have an SNDi of nan, 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 -1.77, -1.77, -0.1 and -0.05. Overall, the SNDi of the aggregate street network has risen: the street network in Shuanglong has become more disconnected.

Shuanglong and Chongqing 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 Chongqing followed a zig-zag trend with an overall increase.

How do development practices in Shuanglong fare in comparison to others in Chongqing? out of the 38 cities in Chongqing. Shuanglong ranked 24th in 1975 and 32nd in 1991-2000. There was no ranking in 1976-1990 and 2001-2014 due to unavailable data.

Shuanglong 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 Shuanglong fare in comparison to others in China? out of the 1651 cities in China. Shuanglong ranked 1299th in 1975 and 1021st in 1991-2000. There was no ranking in 1976-1990 and 2001-2014 due to unavailable data.

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

To date, Shuanglong is the 38th-most disconnected out of the 38 cities in Chongqing. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Chongqing, the street network in Shuanglong has become more connected. Shuanglong ranked 24th in 1975, 34th in 1976-1990, 37th in 1991-2000 and 38th in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Shuanglong is the 1568th-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 Shuanglong has become more connected. Shuanglong ranked 1299th in 1975, 1598th in 1976-1990, 1537th in 1991-2000 and 1568th in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Shuanglong had a built-up area of 0.29 square kilometers, and a population of 118841 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: