Street-network Sprawl in Fengrun, 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.

Fengrun: 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 Fengrun, China on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Fengrun as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 2.83, 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 2.15, 2.5, 1.37 and 4.69. Disconnectivity in street construction in Fengrun follows a zig-zag trend. In 1991-2000, street construction was most disconnected, while construction was most connected in 2001-2014.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Fengrun spans a total of 281 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed in 1976-1990. These roads have an SNDi of 2.5, 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 2.15, 2.39, 2.35 and 2.83. Disconnectivity in Fengrun's street network follows a zig-zag trend. In 1975, the city was most disconnected; while it was most connected in 2001-2014.

Fengrun and Hebei follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi for both of these followed a zig-zag trend with an overall increase.

How do development practices in Fengrun fare in comparison to others in Hebei? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Fengrun was the 7th-most disconnected out of the 99 cities in Hebei. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has risen; relative to other cities in Hebei, street construction in Fengrun has become more disconnected. Fengrun ranked 33rd in 1975, 26th in 1976-1990, 34th in 1991-2000 and 7th in 2001-2014.

Fengrun and China follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi for both of these followed a zig-zag trend with an overall increase.

How do development practices in Fengrun fare in comparison to others in China? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Fengrun was the 124th-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 Fengrun has become more disconnected. Fengrun ranked 448th in 1975, 456th in 1976-1990, 665th in 1991-2000 and 124th in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Fengrun is the 15th-most disconnected out of the 99 cities in Hebei. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has risen; relative to other cities in Hebei, the street network in Fengrun has become more disconnected. Fengrun ranked 33rd in 1975, 26th in 1976-1990, 23rd in 1991-2000 and 15th in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Fengrun is the 355th-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 Fengrun has become more disconnected. Fengrun ranked 448th in 1975, 481st in 1976-1990, 499th in 1991-2000 and 355th in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Fengrun had a built-up area of 32.06 square kilometers, and a population of 288640 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: