Street-network Sprawl in Meishan, 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.

Meishan: 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 Meishan, China on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Meishan as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 0.96, which is relatively well-connected.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are 1.21, 0.81, 0.37 and 1.64. The disconnectivity of new streets constructed in Meishan fell, then rose. In 1991-2000, new street layouts were the most connected.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Meishan spans a total of 344 kilometers. The period with the greatest volume of street construction was 1976-1990. These roads have an SNDi of 0.81, 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 1.21, 0.9, 0.72 and 0.96. The SNDi of the aggregate street network in fell at first, but Meishan has worsened in disconnectivity since 2000.

Meishan and Sichuan follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi for both of these was at its lowest in 1991-2000.

How do development practices in Meishan fare in comparison to others in Sichuan? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Meishan was the 58th-most disconnected out of the 102 cities in Sichuan. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has risen; relative to other cities in Sichuan, street construction in Meishan has become more disconnected. Meishan ranked 63rd in 1975, 70th in 1976-1990, 62nd in 1991-2000 and 58th in 2001-2014.

Meishan and China do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi in Meishan 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 Meishan fare in comparison to others in China? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Meishan was the 807th-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 Meishan has become more connected. Meishan ranked 747th in 1975, 1130th in 1976-1990, 990th in 1991-2000 and 807th in 2001-2014.

Meishan and Sichuan follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi for both of these was at its lowest in 1991-2000.

To date, Meishan is the 86th-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 Meishan has become more connected. Meishan ranked 63rd in 1975, 77th in 1976-1990, 84th in 1991-2000 and 86th in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Meishan is the 1237th-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 Meishan has become more connected. Meishan ranked 747th in 1975, 1181st in 1976-1990, 1274th in 1991-2000 and 1237th in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Meishan had a built-up area of 32.49 square kilometers, and a population of 331635 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: