Street-network Sprawl in Fushun, 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.

Fushun: city in Sichuan, 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 Fushun, China on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Fushun as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 0.38, which is very well-connected.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are 1.03, 1.56, 0.18 and 0.16. Street construction in Fushun increased in disconnectivity initially but has since improved. The streets constructed in 1976-1990 were the most disconnected.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Fushun spans a total of 171 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed in 2001-2014. These roads have an SNDi of 0.16, 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 1.03, 0.97, 0.53 and 0.38. Overall, the SNDi of the aggregate street network has fallen: the street network in Fushun has become more connected. This decrease has quickened: between 1975 and 1976-1990, SNDi fell by 0.06 points, but between 1991-2000 and 2001-2014, it fell by just 0.15.

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

How do development practices in Fushun fare in comparison to others in Sichuan? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Fushun was the 76th-most disconnected out of the 102 cities in Sichuan. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Sichuan, street construction in Fushun has become more connected. Fushun ranked 67th in 1975, 50th in 1976-1990, 64th in 1991-2000 and 76th in 2001-2014.

Fushun and China do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi in Fushun peaked 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 Fushun fare in comparison to others in China? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Fushun was the 1253rd-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 Fushun has become more connected. Fushun ranked 817th in 1975, 839th in 1976-1990, 1051st in 1991-2000 and 1253rd in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Fushun is the 93rd-most disconnected out of the 102 cities in Sichuan. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Sichuan, the street network in Fushun has become more connected. Fushun ranked 67th in 1975, 74th in 1976-1990, 86th in 1991-2000 and 93rd in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Fushun is the 1455th-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 Fushun has become more connected. Fushun ranked 817th in 1975, 1143rd in 1976-1990, 1356th in 1991-2000 and 1455th in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Fushun had a built-up area of 9.17 square kilometers, and a population of 172462 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: