Street-network Sprawl in Laoting, 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.

Laoting: 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 Laoting, China on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Laoting as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 1.53, which is relatively well-connected.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are 1.2, 2.52, 1.14 and 0.42. Street construction in Laoting increased in disconnectivity initially but has since improved. The streets constructed in 1976-1990 were the most disconnected.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Laoting spans a total of 151 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed in 2001-2014. These roads have an SNDi of 0.42, 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 1.2, 2.18, 1.9 and 1.53. The aggregate street network in Laoting increased in disconnectivity initially,but the trend has turned around after 1990.

Laoting and Hebei do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi in Laoting peaked 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 Laoting fare in comparison to others in Hebei? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Laoting was the 77th-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 Laoting has become more connected. Laoting ranked 58th in 1975, 25th in 1976-1990, 44th in 1991-2000 and 77th in 2001-2014.

Laoting and China do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi in Laoting peaked 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 Laoting fare in comparison to others in China? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Laoting was the 1194th-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 Laoting has become more connected. Laoting ranked 749th in 1975, 452nd in 1976-1990, 741st in 1991-2000 and 1194th in 2001-2014.

Laoting and Hebei follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi for both of these peaked in 1976-1990.

To date, Laoting is the 54th-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 Laoting has become more disconnected. Laoting ranked 58th in 1975, 34th in 1976-1990, 42nd in 1991-2000 and 54th in 2001-2014.

Laoting and China follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi for both of these peaked in 1976-1990.

To date, Laoting is the 945th-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 Laoting has become more connected. Laoting ranked 749th in 1975, 575th in 1976-1990, 708th in 1991-2000 and 945th in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Laoting had a built-up area of 13.43 square kilometers, and a population of 92857 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: