Street-network Sprawl in Muling, 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.

Muling: city in Heilongjiang, 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 Muling, China on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Muling as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 2.26, which is relatively well-connected.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are 2.09, 4.12, nan and nan. Data was not available in 1991-2000 and 2001-2014.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Muling spans a total of 75 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed prior to 1975. These roads have an SNDi of 2.09, 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 2.09, 2.26, 2.26 and 2.26. Overall, the SNDi of the aggregate street network has risen: the street network in Muling has become more disconnected. This increase has slowed: between 1975 and 1976-1990, SNDi rose by 0.18 points, but between 1991-2000 and 2001-2014, it rose by just 0.0.

Muling and Heilongjiang 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 Heilongjiang peaked in 1976-1990.

How do development practices in Muling fare in comparison to others in Heilongjiang? out of the 52 cities in Heilongjiang. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has risen; relative to other cities in Heilongjiang, street construction in Muling has become more disconnected. Muling ranked 19th in 1975 and 13th in 1976-1990. There was no ranking in 1991-2000 and 2001-2014 due to unavailable data.

Muling 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 Muling fare in comparison to others in China? 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 Muling has become more disconnected. Muling ranked 474th in 1975 and 127th in 1976-1990. There was no ranking in 1991-2000 and 2001-2014 due to unavailable data.

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

To date, Muling is the 21st-most disconnected out of the 52 cities in Heilongjiang. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Heilongjiang, the street network in Muling has become more connected. Muling ranked 19th in 1975, 19th in 1976-1990, 19th in 1991-2000 and 21st in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Muling is the 596th-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 Muling has become more connected. Muling ranked 474th in 1975, 545th in 1976-1990, 545th in 1991-2000 and 596th in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Muling had a built-up area of 5.5 square kilometers, and a population of 54110 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: