Street-network Sprawl in Maiji, 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.

Maiji: city in Gansu, 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 Maiji, China on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Maiji as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 4.66, which is highly disconnected.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are 4.24, 5.36, nan and nan. Data was not available in 1991-2000 and 2001-2014.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Maiji spans a total of 209 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed prior to 1975. These roads have an SNDi of 4.24, 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 4.24, 4.65, 4.64 and 4.66. Disconnectivity in Maiji's street network follows a zig-zag trend. In 1975, the city was most disconnected; while it was most connected in 2001-2014.

Maiji and Gansu 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 Gansu was at its lowest in 1991-2000.

How do development practices in Maiji fare in comparison to others in Gansu? out of the 34 cities in Gansu. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has risen; relative to other cities in Gansu, street construction in Maiji has become more disconnected. Maiji ranked 5th in 1975 and 3rd in 1976-1990. There was no ranking in 1991-2000 and 2001-2014 due to unavailable data.

Maiji 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 Maiji fare in comparison to others in China? 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 Maiji has become more disconnected. Maiji ranked 92nd in 1975 and 47th in 1976-1990. There was no ranking in 1991-2000 and 2001-2014 due to unavailable data.

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

To date, Maiji is the 4th-most disconnected out of the 34 cities in Gansu. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has risen; relative to other cities in Gansu, the street network in Maiji has become more disconnected. Maiji ranked 5th in 1975, 5th in 1976-1990, 4th in 1991-2000 and 4th in 2001-2014.

Maiji and China do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi in Maiji followed a zig-zag trend with an overall increase, while the SNDi of street constructions in China peaked in 1976-1990.

To date, Maiji is the 54th-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 Maiji has become more disconnected. Maiji ranked 92nd in 1975, 54th in 1976-1990, 46th in 1991-2000 and 54th in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Maiji had a built-up area of 7.1 square kilometers, and a population of 152837 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: