Street-network Sprawl in Shanhaiguan, 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.

Shanhaiguan: 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 Shanhaiguan, China on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Shanhaiguan as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 1.17, which is relatively well-connected.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are 1.17, 1.88, nan and -1.28. Data was not available in 1991-2000.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Shanhaiguan spans a total of 122 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed prior to 1975. These roads have an SNDi of 1.17, 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 1.17, 1.18, 1.18 and 1.17. The aggregate street network in Shanhaiguan increased in disconnectivity initially,but the trend has turned around after 1990.

Shanhaiguan and Hebei do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. There was not enough data from the city, while the SNDi of street constructions in Hebei followed a zig-zag trend with an overall decrease.

How do development practices in Shanhaiguan fare in comparison to others in Hebei? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Shanhaiguan was the 93rd-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 Shanhaiguan has become more disconnected. Shanhaiguan ranked 61st in 1975, 49th in 1976-1990 and 93rd in 2001-2014. There was no ranking in 1991-2000 due to unavailable data.

Shanhaiguan and China do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. There was not enough data from the city, while the SNDi of street constructions in China followed a zig-zag trend with an overall decrease.

How do development practices in Shanhaiguan fare in comparison to others in China? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Shanhaiguan was the 1405th-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 Shanhaiguan has become more disconnected. Shanhaiguan ranked 760th in 1975, 709th in 1976-1990 and 1405th in 2001-2014. There was no ranking in 1991-2000 due to unavailable data.

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

To date, Shanhaiguan is the 70th-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 Shanhaiguan has become more connected. Shanhaiguan ranked 61st in 1975, 69th in 1976-1990, 68th in 1991-2000 and 70th in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Shanhaiguan is the 1135th-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 Shanhaiguan has become more connected. Shanhaiguan ranked 760th in 1975, 1051st in 1976-1990, 1071st in 1991-2000 and 1135th in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Shanhaiguan had a built-up area of 15.27 square kilometers, and a population of 140336 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: