Street-network Sprawl in Baishui, 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.

Baishui: city in Shaanxi, 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 Baishui, China on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Baishui as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 0.22, which is very well-connected.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are -0.09, -0.82, 0.57 and 2.5. The disconnectivity of new streets constructed in Baishui fell, then rose. In 1976-1990, new street layouts were the most connected.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Baishui spans a total of 31 kilometers. The period with the greatest volume of street construction was 1991-2000. These roads have an SNDi of 0.57, 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 -0.09, -0.78, -0.19 and 0.22. The SNDi of the aggregate street network in fell at first, but Baishui has worsened in disconnectivity since 1990.

Baishui and Shaanxi follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi for both of these was at its lowest in 1976-1990.

How do development practices in Baishui fare in comparison to others in Shaanxi? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Baishui was the 16th-most disconnected out of the 60 cities in Shaanxi. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has risen; relative to other cities in Shaanxi, street construction in Baishui has become more disconnected. Baishui ranked 42nd in 1975, 54th in 1976-1990, 33rd in 1991-2000 and 16th in 2001-2014.

Baishui and China do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi in Baishui 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 Baishui fare in comparison to others in China? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Baishui was the 510th-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 Baishui has become more disconnected. Baishui ranked 1136th in 1975, 1464th in 1976-1990, 938th in 1991-2000 and 510th in 2001-2014.

Baishui and Shaanxi do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi in Baishui was at its lowest in 1976-1990, while the SNDi of street constructions in Shaanxi was at its lowest in 1991-2000.

To date, Baishui is the 57th-most disconnected out of the 60 cities in Shaanxi. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Shaanxi, the street network in Baishui has become more connected. Baishui ranked 42nd in 1975, 57th in 1976-1990, 57th in 1991-2000 and 57th in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Baishui is the 1505th-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 Baishui has become more connected. Baishui ranked 1136th in 1975, 1568th in 1976-1990, 1554th in 1991-2000 and 1505th in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Baishui had a built-up area of 6.35 square kilometers, and a population of 52324 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: