Street-network Sprawl in Xiangyuan, 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.

Xiangyuan: 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 Xiangyuan, China on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Xiangyuan as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is -0.57, which is very well-connected.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are -0.6, -0.96, -0.17 and -0.47. Disconnectivity in street construction in Xiangyuan follows a zig-zag trend. In 1976-1990, street construction was most disconnected, while construction was most connected in 1991-2000.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Xiangyuan spans a total of 118 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed in 2001-2014. These roads have an SNDi of -0.47, which is very 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 -0.6, -0.66, -0.56 and -0.57. Disconnectivity in Xiangyuan's street network follows a zig-zag trend. In 1976-1990, the city was most disconnected; while it was most connected in 1991-2000.

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

How do development practices in Xiangyuan fare in comparison to others in Shanxi? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Xiangyuan was the 56th-most disconnected out of the 74 cities in Shanxi. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has risen; relative to other cities in Shanxi, street construction in Xiangyuan has become more disconnected. Xiangyuan ranked 64th in 1975, 68th in 1976-1990, 45th in 1991-2000 and 56th in 2001-2014.

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

How do development practices in Xiangyuan fare in comparison to others in China? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Xiangyuan was the 1351st-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 Xiangyuan has become more connected. Xiangyuan ranked 1223rd in 1975, 1472nd in 1976-1990, 1122nd in 1991-2000 and 1351st in 2001-2014.

Xiangyuan and Shanxi do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi in Xiangyuan followed a zig-zag trend with an overall increase, while the SNDi of street constructions in Shanxi rose steadily.

To date, Xiangyuan is the 72nd-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 Xiangyuan has become more connected. Xiangyuan ranked 64th in 1975, 72nd in 1976-1990, 72nd in 1991-2000 and 72nd in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Xiangyuan is the 1625th-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 Xiangyuan has become more connected. Xiangyuan ranked 1223rd in 1975, 1560th in 1976-1990, 1590th in 1991-2000 and 1625th in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Xiangyuan had a built-up area of 12.29 square kilometers, and a population of 80595 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: