Street-network Sprawl in Dongtai, 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.

Dongtai: city in Jiangsu, 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 Dongtai, China on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Dongtai as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 0.66, which is relatively well-connected.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are -1.47, 0.24, 1.36 and 1.22. Street construction in Dongtai increased in disconnectivity initially but has since improved. The streets constructed in 1991-2000 were the most disconnected.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Dongtai spans a total of 242 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed in 2001-2014. These roads have an SNDi of 1.22, 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 -1.47, 0.2, 0.38 and 0.66. Overall, the SNDi of the aggregate street network has risen: the street network in Dongtai has become more disconnected. This increase has slowed: between 1975 and 1976-1990, SNDi rose by 1.67 points, but between 1991-2000 and 2001-2014, it rose by just 0.29.

Dongtai and Jiangsu do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi in Dongtai peaked in 1991-2000, while the SNDi of street constructions in Jiangsu followed a zig-zag trend with an overall increase.

How do development practices in Dongtai fare in comparison to others in Jiangsu? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Dongtai was the 64th-most disconnected out of the 87 cities in Jiangsu. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has risen; relative to other cities in Jiangsu, street construction in Dongtai has become more disconnected. Dongtai ranked 76th in 1975, 76th in 1976-1990, 50th in 1991-2000 and 64th in 2001-2014.

Dongtai and China do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi in Dongtai peaked 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 Dongtai fare in comparison to others in China? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Dongtai was the 938th-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 Dongtai has become more disconnected. Dongtai ranked 1293rd in 1975, 1307th in 1976-1990, 669th in 1991-2000 and 938th in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Dongtai is the 76th-most disconnected out of the 87 cities in Jiangsu. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has not changed. Dongtai ranked 76th in 1975, 79th in 1976-1990, 74th in 1991-2000 and 76th in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Dongtai is the 1381st-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 Dongtai has become more connected. Dongtai ranked 1293rd in 1975, 1421st in 1976-1990, 1408th in 1991-2000 and 1381st in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Dongtai had a built-up area of 21.44 square kilometers, and a population of 272910 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: