Street-network Sprawl in Cangzhou, 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.

Cangzhou: 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 Cangzhou, China on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Cangzhou as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 2.32, 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 2.91, 2.09, 1.08 and 1.32. The disconnectivity of new streets constructed in Cangzhou fell, then rose. In 1991-2000, new street layouts were the most connected.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Cangzhou spans a total of 489 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed prior to 1975. These roads have an SNDi of 2.91, 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 2.91, 2.8, 2.69 and 2.32. Overall, the SNDi of the aggregate street network has fallen: the street network in Cangzhou has become more connected. This decrease has quickened: between 1975 and 1976-1990, SNDi fell by 0.11 points, but between 1991-2000 and 2001-2014, it fell by just 0.36.

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

How do development practices in Cangzhou fare in comparison to others in Hebei? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Cangzhou was the 60th-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 Cangzhou has become more connected. Cangzhou ranked 16th in 1975, 40th in 1976-1990, 46th in 1991-2000 and 60th in 2001-2014.

Cangzhou and China do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi in Cangzhou 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 Cangzhou fare in comparison to others in China? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Cangzhou was the 902nd-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 Cangzhou has become more connected. Cangzhou ranked 270th in 1975, 626th in 1976-1990, 756th in 1991-2000 and 902nd in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Cangzhou is the 28th-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 Cangzhou has become more connected. Cangzhou ranked 16th in 1975, 15th in 1976-1990, 15th in 1991-2000 and 28th in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Cangzhou is the 564th-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 Cangzhou has become more connected. Cangzhou ranked 270th in 1975, 347th in 1976-1990, 365th in 1991-2000 and 564th in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Cangzhou had a built-up area of 91.22 square kilometers, and a population of 560962 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: