Street-network Sprawl in Fenyang, 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.

Fenyang: city in Shanxi, 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 Fenyang, China on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Fenyang as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 3.1, 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 5.39, 2.64, 1.78 and 1.9. The disconnectivity of new streets constructed in Fenyang fell, then rose. In 1991-2000, new street layouts were the most connected.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Fenyang spans a total of 150 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed in 1976-1990. These roads have an SNDi of 2.64, 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 5.39, 3.5, 3.28 and 3.1. Overall, the SNDi of the aggregate street network has fallen: the street network in Fenyang has become more connected.

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

How do development practices in Fenyang fare in comparison to others in Shanxi? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Fenyang was the 28th-most disconnected out of the 74 cities in Shanxi. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Shanxi, street construction in Fenyang has become more connected. Fenyang ranked 3rd in 1975, 19th in 1976-1990, 21st in 1991-2000 and 28th in 2001-2014.

Fenyang and China do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi in Fenyang was at its lowest 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 Fenyang fare in comparison to others in China? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Fenyang was the 700th-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 Fenyang has become more connected. Fenyang ranked 38th in 1975, 412th in 1976-1990, 558th in 1991-2000 and 700th in 2001-2014.

Fenyang and Shanxi do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi in Fenyang fell steadily, while the SNDi of street constructions in Shanxi rose steadily.

To date, Fenyang is the 10th-most disconnected out of the 74 cities in Shanxi. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Shanxi, the street network in Fenyang has become more connected. Fenyang ranked 3rd in 1975, 8th in 1976-1990, 9th in 1991-2000 and 10th in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Fenyang is the 261st-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 Fenyang has become more connected. Fenyang ranked 38th in 1975, 171st in 1976-1990, 191st in 1991-2000 and 261st in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Fenyang had a built-up area of 15.7 square kilometers, and a population of 134734 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: