Street-network Sprawl in Jingxi, 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.

Jingxi: 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 Jingxi, China on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Jingxi as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 0.98, which is relatively well-connected.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are 0.9, 0.54, 0.54 and 3.52. The disconnectivity of new streets constructed in Jingxi fell, then rose. In 1976-1990, new street layouts were the most connected.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Jingxi spans a total of 75 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed prior to 1975. These roads have an SNDi of 0.9, 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 0.9, 0.81, 0.78 and 0.98. The SNDi of the aggregate street network in fell at first, but Jingxi has worsened in disconnectivity since 2000.

Jingxi and Guangxi do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi in Jingxi was at its lowest in 1976-1990, while the SNDi of street constructions in Guangxi followed a zig-zag trend with an overall increase.

How do development practices in Jingxi fare in comparison to others in Guangxi? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Jingxi was the 14th-most disconnected out of the 53 cities in Guangxi. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has risen; relative to other cities in Guangxi, street construction in Jingxi has become more disconnected. Jingxi ranked 28th in 1975, 43rd in 1976-1990, 34th in 1991-2000 and 14th in 2001-2014.

Jingxi and China do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi in Jingxi was at its lowest in 1976-1990, while the SNDi of street constructions in China followed a zig-zag trend with an overall decrease.

How do development practices in Jingxi fare in comparison to others in China? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Jingxi was the 265th-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 Jingxi has become more disconnected. Jingxi ranked 860th in 1975, 1218th in 1976-1990, 944th in 1991-2000 and 265th in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Jingxi is the 44th-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 Jingxi has become more connected. Jingxi ranked 28th in 1975, 43rd in 1976-1990, 43rd in 1991-2000 and 44th in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Jingxi is the 1226th-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 Jingxi has become more connected. Jingxi ranked 860th in 1975, 1224th in 1976-1990, 1255th in 1991-2000 and 1226th in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Jingxi had a built-up area of 4.17 square kilometers, and a population of 76236 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: