Street-network Sprawl in Gaoan, 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.

Gaoan: 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 Gaoan, China on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Gaoan as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 1.3, which is relatively well-connected.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are 1.39, 0.73, 0.84 and 1.75. The disconnectivity of new streets constructed in Gaoan fell, then rose. In 1976-1990, new street layouts were the most connected.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Gaoan spans a total of 190 kilometers. The period with the greatest volume of street construction was 2001-2014. These roads have an SNDi of 1.75, 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 1.39, 0.9, 0.93 and 1.3. The SNDi of the aggregate street network in fell at first, but Gaoan has worsened in disconnectivity since 1990.

Gaoan and Jiangxi do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi in Gaoan was at its lowest in 1976-1990, while the SNDi of street constructions in Jiangxi peaked in 1976-1990.

How do development practices in Gaoan fare in comparison to others in Jiangxi? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Gaoan was the 39th-most disconnected out of the 74 cities in Jiangxi. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has not changed. Gaoan ranked 39th in 1975, 60th in 1976-1990, 39th in 1991-2000 and 39th in 2001-2014.

Gaoan and China do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi in Gaoan was at its lowest in 1976-1990, while the SNDi of street constructions in China followed a zig-zag trend with an overall decrease.

How do development practices in Gaoan fare in comparison to others in China? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Gaoan was the 760th-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 Gaoan has become more connected. Gaoan ranked 696th in 1975, 1157th in 1976-1990, 855th in 1991-2000 and 760th in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Gaoan is the 60th-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 Gaoan has become more connected. Gaoan ranked 39th in 1975, 58th in 1976-1990, 61st in 1991-2000 and 60th in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Gaoan is the 1065th-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 Gaoan has become more connected. Gaoan ranked 696th in 1975, 1174th in 1976-1990, 1182nd in 1991-2000 and 1065th in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Gaoan had a built-up area of 11.71 square kilometers, and a population of 179003 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: