Street-network Sprawl in Qinhuangdao, 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.

Qinhuangdao: 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 Qinhuangdao, China on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Qinhuangdao as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 2.39, 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 1.71, 2.93, 1.98 and 3.37. Disconnectivity in street construction in Qinhuangdao follows a zig-zag trend. In 1975, street construction was most disconnected, while construction was most connected in 2001-2014.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Qinhuangdao spans a total of 395 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed prior to 1975. These roads have an SNDi of 1.71, which is relatively 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 1.71, 2.22, 2.22 and 2.39. Overall, the SNDi of the aggregate street network has risen: the street network in Qinhuangdao has become more disconnected. This increase has slowed: between 1975 and 1976-1990, SNDi rose by 0.51 points, but between 1991-2000 and 2001-2014, it rose by just 0.17.

Qinhuangdao 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 Qinhuangdao fare in comparison to others in Hebei? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Qinhuangdao was the 17th-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 Qinhuangdao has become more disconnected. Qinhuangdao ranked 43rd in 1975, 17th in 1976-1990, 16th in 1991-2000 and 17th in 2001-2014.

Qinhuangdao 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 Qinhuangdao fare in comparison to others in China? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Qinhuangdao was the 307th-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 Qinhuangdao has become more disconnected. Qinhuangdao ranked 583rd in 1975, 329th in 1976-1990, 497th in 1991-2000 and 307th in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Qinhuangdao is the 26th-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 Qinhuangdao has become more disconnected. Qinhuangdao ranked 43rd in 1975, 31st in 1976-1990, 28th in 1991-2000 and 26th in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Qinhuangdao is the 536th-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 Qinhuangdao has become more disconnected. Qinhuangdao ranked 583rd in 1975, 563rd in 1976-1990, 561st in 1991-2000 and 536th in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Qinhuangdao had a built-up area of 73.11 square kilometers, and a population of 779402 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: