Street-network Sprawl in Taizhou, 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.

Taizhou: 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 Taizhou, China on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Taizhou as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 1.95, which is relatively well-connected.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are 0.47, 1.87, 2.33 and 2.01. Street construction in Taizhou 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 Taizhou spans a total of 587 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed in 2001-2014. These roads have an SNDi of 2.01, 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 0.47, 1.69, 1.89 and 1.95. Overall, the SNDi of the aggregate street network has risen: the street network in Taizhou has become more disconnected. This increase has slowed: between 1975 and 1976-1990, SNDi rose by 1.22 points, but between 1991-2000 and 2001-2014, it rose by just 0.06.

Taizhou and Jiangsu do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi in Taizhou 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 Taizhou fare in comparison to others in Jiangsu? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Taizhou was the 37th-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 Taizhou has become more disconnected. Taizhou ranked 64th in 1975, 39th in 1976-1990, 24th in 1991-2000 and 37th in 2001-2014.

Taizhou and China do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi in Taizhou 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 Taizhou fare in comparison to others in China? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Taizhou was the 666th-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 Taizhou has become more disconnected. Taizhou ranked 1005th in 1975, 711th in 1976-1990, 397th in 1991-2000 and 666th in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Taizhou is the 32nd-most disconnected out of the 87 cities in Jiangsu. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has risen; relative to other cities in Jiangsu, the street network in Taizhou has become more disconnected. Taizhou ranked 64th in 1975, 41st in 1976-1990, 33rd in 1991-2000 and 32nd in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Taizhou is the 724th-most disconnected out of the 1651 cities in China. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has risen; relative to other cities in China, the street network in Taizhou has become more disconnected. Taizhou ranked 1005th in 1975, 785th in 1976-1990, 716th in 1991-2000 and 724th in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Taizhou had a built-up area of 87.6 square kilometers, and a population of 462306 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: