Street-network Sprawl in Gucheng, 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.

Gucheng: 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 Gucheng, China on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Gucheng as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is -1.0, which is very well-connected.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are 4.54, -1.6, -1.45 and -1.21. The disconnectivity of new streets constructed in Gucheng fell, then rose. In 1976-1990, new street layouts were the most connected.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Gucheng spans a total of 109 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed in 2001-2014. These roads have an SNDi of -1.21, which is very 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 4.54, -0.36, -0.94 and -1.0. Overall, the SNDi of the aggregate street network has fallen: the street network in Gucheng has become more connected.

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

How do development practices in Gucheng fare in comparison to others in Hebei? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Gucheng was the 92nd-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 Gucheng has become more connected. Gucheng ranked 1st in 1975, 96th in 1976-1990, 79th in 1991-2000 and 92nd in 2001-2014.

Gucheng and China do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi in Gucheng 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 Gucheng fare in comparison to others in China? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Gucheng was the 1403rd-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 Gucheng has become more connected. Gucheng ranked 75th in 1975, 1496th in 1976-1990, 1286th in 1991-2000 and 1403rd in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Gucheng is the 98th-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 Gucheng has become more connected. Gucheng ranked 1st in 1975, 90th in 1976-1990, 96th in 1991-2000 and 98th in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Gucheng is the 1640th-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 Gucheng has become more connected. Gucheng ranked 75th in 1975, 1536th in 1976-1990, 1612th in 1991-2000 and 1640th in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Gucheng had a built-up area of 13.85 square kilometers, and a population of 76220 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: