Street-network Sprawl in Bazhou, 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.

Bazhou: city in Hebei, 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 Bazhou, China on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Bazhou as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 2.8, which is in the 40th to 60th percentile of disconnectedness.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are 3.43, 3.01, 2.41 and 1.65. In each period, new street development in Bazhou steadily grows more connected than in the last. This decrease has quickened: between 1975 and 1976-1990, SNDi fell by 0.42 points, but between 1991-2000 and 2001-2014, it fell by just 0.76.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Bazhou spans a total of 132 kilometers. The period with the greatest volume of street construction was 1976-1990. These roads have an SNDi of 3.01, which is in the 40th to 60th percentile of disconnectedness.

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 3.43, 3.18, 2.96 and 2.8. Overall, the SNDi of the aggregate street network has fallen: the street network in Bazhou has become more connected.

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

How do development practices in Bazhou fare in comparison to others in Hebei? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Bazhou was the 51st-most disconnected out of the 99 cities in Hebei. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Hebei, street construction in Bazhou has become more connected. Bazhou ranked 8th in 1975, 14th in 1976-1990, 13th in 1991-2000 and 51st in 2001-2014.

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

How do development practices in Bazhou fare in comparison to others in China? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Bazhou was the 801st-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 Bazhou has become more connected. Bazhou ranked 170th in 1975, 306th in 1976-1990, 373rd in 1991-2000 and 801st in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Bazhou is the 16th-most disconnected out of the 99 cities in Hebei. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Hebei, the street network in Bazhou has become more connected. Bazhou ranked 8th in 1975, 7th in 1976-1990, 11th in 1991-2000 and 16th in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Bazhou is the 364th-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 Bazhou has become more connected. Bazhou ranked 170th in 1975, 234th in 1976-1990, 281st in 1991-2000 and 364th in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Bazhou had a built-up area of 16.58 square kilometers, and a population of 105714 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: