Street-network Sprawl in Xiayi, 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.

Xiayi: city in Henan, 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 Xiayi, China on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Xiayi as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 0.31, which is very well-connected.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are 1.11, 0.36, -0.02 and 0.41. The disconnectivity of new streets constructed in Xiayi fell, then rose. In 1991-2000, new street layouts were the most connected.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Xiayi spans a total of 176 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed in 2001-2014. These roads have an SNDi of 0.41, 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 1.11, 0.58, 0.33 and 0.31. Overall, the SNDi of the aggregate street network has fallen: the street network in Xiayi has become more connected.

Xiayi and Henan do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi in Xiayi was at its lowest in 1991-2000, while the SNDi of street constructions in Henan peaked in 1991-2000.

How do development practices in Xiayi fare in comparison to others in Henan? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Xiayi was the 76th-most disconnected out of the 118 cities in Henan. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Henan, street construction in Xiayi has become more connected. Xiayi ranked 26th in 1975, 78th in 1976-1990, 73rd in 1991-2000 and 76th in 2001-2014.

Xiayi and China do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi in Xiayi was at its lowest in 1991-2000, while the SNDi of street constructions in China followed a zig-zag trend with an overall decrease.

How do development practices in Xiayi fare in comparison to others in China? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Xiayi was the 1200th-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 Xiayi has become more connected. Xiayi ranked 789th in 1975, 1270th in 1976-1990, 1092nd in 1991-2000 and 1200th in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Xiayi is the 84th-most disconnected out of the 118 cities in Henan. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Henan, the street network in Xiayi has become more connected. Xiayi ranked 26th in 1975, 68th in 1976-1990, 81st in 1991-2000 and 84th in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Xiayi is the 1476th-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 Xiayi has become more connected. Xiayi ranked 789th in 1975, 1315th in 1976-1990, 1426th in 1991-2000 and 1476th in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Xiayi had a built-up area of 15.58 square kilometers, and a population of 66303 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: