Street-network Sprawl in Qingdao, 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.

Qingdao: city in Shandong, 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 Qingdao, China on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Qingdao as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 2.08, which is relatively well-connected.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are 1.81, 1.42, 2.25 and 3.06. The disconnectivity of new streets constructed in Qingdao fell, then rose. In 1976-1990, new street layouts were the most connected.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Qingdao spans a total of 4049 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed prior to 1975. These roads have an SNDi of 1.81, 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 1.81, 1.81, 1.85 and 2.08. The SNDi of the aggregate street network in fell at first, but Qingdao has worsened in disconnectivity since 1990.

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

How do development practices in Qingdao fare in comparison to others in Shandong? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Qingdao was the 6th-most disconnected out of the 113 cities in Shandong. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has risen; relative to other cities in Shandong, street construction in Qingdao has become more disconnected. Qingdao ranked 17th in 1975, 38th in 1976-1990, 15th in 1991-2000 and 6th in 2001-2014.

Qingdao and China do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi in Qingdao 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 Qingdao fare in comparison to others in China? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Qingdao was the 367th-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 Qingdao has become more disconnected. Qingdao ranked 549th in 1975, 900th in 1976-1990, 415th in 1991-2000 and 367th in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Qingdao is the 17th-most disconnected out of the 113 cities in Shandong. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has not changed. Qingdao ranked 17th in 1975, 21st in 1976-1990, 19th in 1991-2000 and 17th in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Qingdao is the 670th-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 Qingdao has become more connected. Qingdao ranked 549th in 1975, 741st in 1976-1990, 732nd in 1991-2000 and 670th in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Qingdao had a built-up area of 380.19 square kilometers, and a population of 3603126 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population:

For some related information about population, urban extent and density, and roads, visit the Atlas of Urban Expansion.