Street-network Sprawl in Wanzhou, 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.

Wanzhou: 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 Wanzhou, China on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Wanzhou as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 4.01, which is highly disconnected.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are 4.26, 3.51, 3.5 and 4.37. The disconnectivity of new streets constructed in Wanzhou fell, then rose. In 1991-2000, new street layouts were the most connected.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Wanzhou spans a total of 536 kilometers. The period with the greatest volume of street construction was 2001-2014. These roads have an SNDi of 4.37, 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 4.26, 3.94, 3.82 and 4.01. The SNDi of the aggregate street network in fell at first, but Wanzhou has worsened in disconnectivity since 2000.

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

How do development practices in Wanzhou fare in comparison to others in Chongqing? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Wanzhou was the 8th-most disconnected out of the 38 cities in Chongqing. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Chongqing, street construction in Wanzhou has become more connected. Wanzhou ranked 5th in 1975, 8th in 1976-1990, 8th in 1991-2000 and 8th in 2001-2014.

Wanzhou and China do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi in Wanzhou 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 Wanzhou fare in comparison to others in China? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Wanzhou was the 155th-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 Wanzhou has become more connected. Wanzhou ranked 91st in 1975, 211th in 1976-1990, 170th in 1991-2000 and 155th in 2001-2014.

Wanzhou and Chongqing do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi in Wanzhou was at its lowest in 1991-2000, while the SNDi of street constructions in Chongqing followed a zig-zag trend with an overall increase.

To date, Wanzhou is the 11th-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 Wanzhou has become more connected. Wanzhou ranked 5th in 1975, 11th in 1976-1990, 11th in 1991-2000 and 11th in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Wanzhou is the 98th-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 Wanzhou has become more connected. Wanzhou ranked 91st in 1975, 107th in 1976-1990, 106th in 1991-2000 and 98th in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Wanzhou had a built-up area of 26.13 square kilometers, and a population of 451003 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: