Street-network Sprawl in 新兴街道, 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.

新兴街道: 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 新兴街道, China on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in 新兴街道 as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 2.0, which is relatively well-connected.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are 3.38, 1.82, 2.52 and 1.57. Disconnectivity in street construction in 新兴街道 follows a zig-zag trend. In 2001-2014, street construction was most disconnected, while construction was most connected in 1975.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in 新兴街道 spans a total of 167 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed in 2001-2014. These roads have an SNDi of 1.57, 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 3.38, 2.31, 2.27 and 2.0. Overall, the SNDi of the aggregate street network has fallen: the street network in 新兴街道 has become more connected.

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

How do development practices in 新兴街道 fare in comparison to others in Shaanxi? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in 新兴街道 was the 30th-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 新兴街道 has become more connected. 新兴街道 ranked 7th in 1975, 24th in 1976-1990, 9th in 1991-2000 and 30th in 2001-2014.

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

How do development practices in 新兴街道 fare in comparison to others in China? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in 新兴街道 was the 826th-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 新兴街道 has become more connected. 新兴街道 ranked 177th in 1975, 735th in 1976-1990, 341st in 1991-2000 and 826th in 2001-2014.

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

To date, 新兴街道 is the 26th-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 新兴街道 has become more connected. 新兴街道 ranked 7th in 1975, 19th in 1976-1990, 19th in 1991-2000 and 26th in 2001-2014.

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

To date, 新兴街道 is the 702nd-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 新兴街道 has become more connected. 新兴街道 ranked 177th in 1975, 524th in 1976-1990, 543rd in 1991-2000 and 702nd in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, 新兴街道 had a built-up area of 17.48 square kilometers, and a population of 150026 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: