Street-network Sprawl in Neijiang, 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.

Neijiang: 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 Neijiang, China on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Neijiang as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 1.37, which is relatively well-connected.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are 2.84, 1.2, 0.69 and -0.78. In each period, new street development in Neijiang steadily grows more connected than in the last.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Neijiang spans a total of 258 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed in 1991-2000. These roads have an SNDi of 0.69, 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 2.84, 1.87, 1.47 and 1.37. Overall, the SNDi of the aggregate street network has fallen: the street network in Neijiang has become more connected.

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

How do development practices in Neijiang fare in comparison to others in Sichuan? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Neijiang was the 80th-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 Neijiang has become more connected. Neijiang ranked 28th in 1975, 59th in 1976-1990, 57th in 1991-2000 and 80th in 2001-2014.

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

How do development practices in Neijiang fare in comparison to others in China? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Neijiang was the 1377th-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 Neijiang has become more connected. Neijiang ranked 282nd in 1975, 1000th in 1976-1990, 897th in 1991-2000 and 1377th in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Neijiang is the 74th-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 Neijiang has become more connected. Neijiang ranked 28th in 1975, 56th in 1976-1990, 65th in 1991-2000 and 74th in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Neijiang is the 1028th-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 Neijiang has become more connected. Neijiang ranked 282nd in 1975, 718th in 1976-1990, 920th in 1991-2000 and 1028th in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Neijiang had a built-up area of 17.59 square kilometers, and a population of 363731 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: