Street-network Sprawl in Qiaogou, 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.

Qiaogou: 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 Qiaogou, China on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Qiaogou as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 2.49, which is in the 40th to 60th percentile of disconnectedness.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are 2.44, 3.17, 4.45 and 2.32. Street construction in Qiaogou 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 Qiaogou spans a total of 20 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed in 2001-2014. These roads have an SNDi of 2.32, which is in the 40th to 60th percentile of disconnectedness.

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 2.44, 2.5, 2.93 and 2.49. The aggregate street network in Qiaogou increased in disconnectivity initially,but the trend has turned around after 2000.

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

How do development practices in Qiaogou fare in comparison to others in Shaanxi? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Qiaogou was the 22nd-most disconnected out of the 60 cities in Shaanxi. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Shaanxi, street construction in Qiaogou has become more connected. Qiaogou ranked 18th in 1975, 9th in 1976-1990, 4th in 1991-2000 and 22nd in 2001-2014.

Qiaogou and China do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi in Qiaogou 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 Qiaogou fare in comparison to others in China? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Qiaogou was the 563rd-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 Qiaogou has become more connected. Qiaogou ranked 374th in 1975, 270th in 1976-1990, 88th in 1991-2000 and 563rd in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Qiaogou is the 20th-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 Qiaogou has become more connected. Qiaogou ranked 18th in 1975, 15th in 1976-1990, 11th in 1991-2000 and 20th in 2001-2014.

Qiaogou and China do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi in Qiaogou peaked in 1991-2000, while the SNDi of street constructions in China peaked in 1976-1990.

To date, Qiaogou is the 482nd-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 Qiaogou has become more connected. Qiaogou ranked 374th in 1975, 450th in 1976-1990, 292nd in 1991-2000 and 482nd in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Qiaogou had a built-up area of 3.42 square kilometers, and a population of 56363 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: