Street-network Sprawl in Fuzhou, 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.

Fuzhou: city in Jiangxi, 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 Fuzhou, China on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Fuzhou as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 1.18, which is relatively well-connected.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are 0.6, 0.94, 0.28 and 1.81. Disconnectivity in street construction in Fuzhou follows a zig-zag trend. In 1991-2000, street construction was most disconnected, while construction was most connected in 2001-2014.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Fuzhou spans a total of 340 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed in 2001-2014. These roads have an SNDi of 1.81, 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 0.6, 0.81, 0.71 and 1.18. Disconnectivity in Fuzhou's street network follows a zig-zag trend. In 1975, the city was most disconnected; while it was most connected in 2001-2014.

Fuzhou and Jiangxi do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi in Fuzhou followed a zig-zag trend with an overall increase, while the SNDi of street constructions in Jiangxi peaked in 1976-1990.

How do development practices in Fuzhou fare in comparison to others in Jiangxi? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Fuzhou was the 37th-most disconnected out of the 74 cities in Jiangxi. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has risen; relative to other cities in Jiangxi, street construction in Fuzhou has become more disconnected. Fuzhou ranked 51st in 1975, 55th in 1976-1990, 45th in 1991-2000 and 37th in 2001-2014.

Fuzhou and China follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi for both of these followed a zig-zag trend with an overall increase.

How do development practices in Fuzhou fare in comparison to others in China? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Fuzhou was the 738th-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 Fuzhou has become more disconnected. Fuzhou ranked 957th in 1975, 1080th in 1976-1990, 1016th in 1991-2000 and 738th in 2001-2014.

Fuzhou and Jiangxi do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi in Fuzhou followed a zig-zag trend with an overall increase, while the SNDi of street constructions in Jiangxi peaked in 1976-1990.

To date, Fuzhou is the 63rd-most disconnected out of the 74 cities in Jiangxi. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Jiangxi, the street network in Fuzhou has become more connected. Fuzhou ranked 51st in 1975, 60th in 1976-1990, 66th in 1991-2000 and 63rd in 2001-2014.

Fuzhou and China do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi in Fuzhou followed a zig-zag trend with an overall increase, while the SNDi of street constructions in China peaked in 1976-1990.

To date, Fuzhou is the 1126th-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 Fuzhou has become more connected. Fuzhou ranked 957th in 1975, 1227th in 1976-1990, 1280th in 1991-2000 and 1126th in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Fuzhou had a built-up area of 24.67 square kilometers, and a population of 397376 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: