Street-network Sprawl in Qufu, 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.

Qufu: 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 Qufu, China on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Qufu as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 2.18, which is relatively well-connected.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are 0.9, 2.19, 2.29 and 2.18. Street construction in Qufu 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 Qufu spans a total of 377 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed in 2001-2014. These roads have an SNDi of 2.18, 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 0.9, 2.17, 2.16 and 2.18. Disconnectivity in Qufu's street network follows a zig-zag trend. In 1975, the city was most disconnected; while it was most connected in 2001-2014.

Qufu and Shandong do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi in Qufu peaked in 1991-2000, while the SNDi of street constructions in Shandong followed a zig-zag trend with an overall increase.

How do development practices in Qufu fare in comparison to others in Shandong? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Qufu was the 20th-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 Qufu has become more disconnected. Qufu ranked 39th in 1975, 13th in 1976-1990, 14th in 1991-2000 and 20th in 2001-2014.

Qufu and China do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi in Qufu 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 Qufu fare in comparison to others in China? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Qufu was the 611th-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 Qufu has become more disconnected. Qufu ranked 859th in 1975, 581st in 1976-1990, 408th in 1991-2000 and 611th in 2001-2014.

Qufu and Shandong do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi in Qufu followed a zig-zag trend with an overall increase, while the SNDi of street constructions in Shandong peaked in 1976-1990.

To date, Qufu is the 16th-most disconnected out of the 113 cities in Shandong. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has risen; relative to other cities in Shandong, the street network in Qufu has become more disconnected. Qufu ranked 39th in 1975, 13th in 1976-1990, 13th in 1991-2000 and 16th in 2001-2014.

Qufu and China do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi in Qufu followed a zig-zag trend with an overall increase, while the SNDi of street constructions in China peaked in 1976-1990.

To date, Qufu is the 620th-most disconnected out of the 1651 cities in China. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has risen; relative to other cities in China, the street network in Qufu has become more disconnected. Qufu ranked 859th in 1975, 580th in 1976-1990, 586th in 1991-2000 and 620th in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Qufu had a built-up area of 23.3 square kilometers, and a population of 212003 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: