Street-network Sprawl in Yinchuan, 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.

Yinchuan: city in Ningxia Hui, 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 Yinchuan, China on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Yinchuan as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 1.08, which is relatively well-connected.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are 0.27, 0.7, 1.18 and 1.46. In each period, new street development in Yinchuan steadily grows more disconnected than in the last. This increase has slowed: between 1975 and 1976-1990, SNDi rose by 0.42 points, but between 1991-2000 and 2001-2014, it rose by just 0.27.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Yinchuan spans a total of 1114 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed in 2001-2014. These roads have an SNDi of 1.46, 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 0.27, 0.58, 0.72 and 1.08. Overall, the SNDi of the aggregate street network has risen: the street network in Yinchuan has become more disconnected.

Yinchuan and Ningxia Hui do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi in Yinchuan rose steadily, while the SNDi of street constructions in Ningxia Hui peaked in 1976-1990.

How do development practices in Yinchuan fare in comparison to others in Ningxia Hui? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Yinchuan was the 5th-most disconnected out of the 15 cities in Ningxia Hui. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Ningxia Hui, street construction in Yinchuan has become more connected. Yinchuan ranked 3rd in 1975, 5th in 1976-1990, 2nd in 1991-2000 and 5th in 2001-2014.

Yinchuan and China do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi in Yinchuan rose steadily, while the SNDi of street constructions in China followed a zig-zag trend with an overall decrease.

How do development practices in Yinchuan fare in comparison to others in China? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Yinchuan was the 876th-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 Yinchuan has become more disconnected. Yinchuan ranked 1055th in 1975, 1166th in 1976-1990, 730th in 1991-2000 and 876th in 2001-2014.

Yinchuan and Ningxia Hui do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi in Yinchuan rose steadily, while the SNDi of street constructions in Ningxia Hui peaked in 1991-2000.

To date, Yinchuan is the 4th-most disconnected out of the 15 cities in Ningxia Hui. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Ningxia Hui, the street network in Yinchuan has become more connected. Yinchuan ranked 3rd in 1975, 6th in 1976-1990, 4th in 1991-2000 and 4th in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Yinchuan is the 1177th-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 Yinchuan has become more connected. Yinchuan ranked 1055th in 1975, 1316th in 1976-1990, 1277th in 1991-2000 and 1177th in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Yinchuan had a built-up area of 143.92 square kilometers, and a population of 1440104 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: