Street-network Sprawl in Lixian, 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.

Lixian: city in Hunan, 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 Lixian, China on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Lixian as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 1.56, which is relatively well-connected.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are 1.65, 1.55, 2.36 and 1.9. Disconnectivity in street construction in Lixian follows a zig-zag trend. In 1976-1990, street construction was most disconnected, while construction was most connected in 1991-2000.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Lixian spans a total of 246 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed in 1976-1990. These roads have an SNDi of 1.55, 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 1.65, 1.43, 1.51 and 1.56. The SNDi of the aggregate street network in fell at first, but Lixian has worsened in disconnectivity since 1990.

Lixian and Hunan do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi in Lixian followed a zig-zag trend with an overall increase, while the SNDi of street constructions in Hunan followed a zig-zag trend with an overall decrease.

How do development practices in Lixian fare in comparison to others in Hunan? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Lixian was the 44th-most disconnected out of the 95 cities in Hunan. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has risen; relative to other cities in Hunan, street construction in Lixian has become more disconnected. Lixian ranked 45th in 1975, 54th in 1976-1990, 20th in 1991-2000 and 44th in 2001-2014.

Lixian and China do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi in Lixian followed a zig-zag trend with an overall increase, while the SNDi of street constructions in China followed a zig-zag trend with an overall decrease.

How do development practices in Lixian fare in comparison to others in China? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Lixian was the 698th-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 Lixian has become more connected. Lixian ranked 606th in 1975, 842nd in 1976-1990, 386th in 1991-2000 and 698th in 2001-2014.

Lixian and Hunan do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi in Lixian was at its lowest in 1976-1990, while the SNDi of street constructions in Hunan peaked in 1976-1990.

To date, Lixian is the 65th-most disconnected out of the 95 cities in Hunan. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Hunan, the street network in Lixian has become more connected. Lixian ranked 45th in 1975, 65th in 1976-1990, 61st in 1991-2000 and 65th in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Lixian is the 931st-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 Lixian has become more connected. Lixian ranked 606th in 1975, 912th in 1976-1990, 897th in 1991-2000 and 931st in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Lixian had a built-up area of 24.96 square kilometers, and a population of 360119 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: