Street-network Sprawl in Tung Chung, 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.

Tung Chung: city in Islands, 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 Tung Chung, China on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Tung Chung as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 1.44, which is relatively well-connected.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are nan, 1.63, 0.96 and nan. Data was not available in 1975 and 2001-2014.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Tung Chung spans a total of 55 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed prior to 1975. These roads have an SNDi of nan, which is highly disconnected.

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 nan, 1.63, 1.44 and 1.44. Data was not available in 1975.

Tung Chung and Islands do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. There was not enough data from the city, as well as the Islands's street network construction.

How do development practices in Tung Chung fare in comparison to others in Islands? out of the 1 cities in Islands. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has not changed. Tung Chung ranked 1st in 1976-1990 and 1st in 1991-2000. There was no ranking in 1975 and 2001-2014 due to unavailable data.

Tung Chung 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 increase.

How do development practices in Tung Chung fare in comparison to others in China? 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 Tung Chung has become more connected. Tung Chung ranked 812th in 1976-1990 and 813th in 1991-2000. There was no ranking in 1975 and 2001-2014 due to unavailable data.

Tung Chung and Islands do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. There was not enough data from the city, while the SNDi of street constructions in Islands was at its lowest in 1991-2000.

To date, Tung Chung is the 1st-most disconnected out of the 1 cities in Islands. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has not changed. Tung Chung ranked 1st in 1976-1990, 1st in 1991-2000 and 1st in 2001-2014. There was no ranking in 1975 due to unavailable data.

Tung Chung and China do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. There was not enough data from the city, while the SNDi of street constructions in China rose steadily.

To date, Tung Chung is the 992nd-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 Tung Chung has become more connected. Tung Chung ranked 819th in 1976-1990, 933rd in 1991-2000 and 992nd in 2001-2014. There was no ranking in 1975 due to unavailable data.

As of 2015, Tung Chung had a built-up area of 2.01 square kilometers, and a population of 66740 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: