Street-network Sprawl in Guiping, 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.

Guiping: city in Guangxi, 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 Guiping, China on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Guiping as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 4.46, which is highly disconnected.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are 6.38, 4.07, 4.0 and 2.46. In each period, new street development in Guiping steadily grows more connected than in the last.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Guiping spans a total of 154 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed in 1976-1990. These roads have an SNDi of 4.07, 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 6.38, 4.55, 4.52 and 4.46. Overall, the SNDi of the aggregate street network has fallen: the street network in Guiping has become more connected.

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

How do development practices in Guiping fare in comparison to others in Guangxi? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Guiping was the 22nd-most disconnected out of the 53 cities in Guangxi. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Guangxi, street construction in Guiping has become more connected. Guiping ranked 1st in 1975, 8th in 1976-1990, 8th in 1991-2000 and 22nd in 2001-2014.

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

How do development practices in Guiping fare in comparison to others in China? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Guiping was the 526th-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 Guiping has become more connected. Guiping ranked 19th in 1975, 132nd in 1976-1990, 119th in 1991-2000 and 526th in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Guiping is the 4th-most disconnected out of the 53 cities in Guangxi. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Guangxi, the street network in Guiping has become more connected. Guiping ranked 1st in 1975, 3rd in 1976-1990, 3rd in 1991-2000 and 4th in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Guiping is the 66th-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 Guiping has become more connected. Guiping ranked 19th in 1975, 57th in 1976-1990, 52nd in 1991-2000 and 66th in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Guiping had a built-up area of 13.59 square kilometers, and a population of 193499 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: