Street-network Sprawl in Xuyong, 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.

Xuyong: 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 Xuyong, China on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Xuyong as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 4.05, which is highly disconnected.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are 4.52, 2.57, 10.16 and 3.22. Disconnectivity in street construction in Xuyong 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 Xuyong spans a total of 95 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed in 2001-2014. These roads have an SNDi of 3.22, 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 4.52, 4.19, 4.89 and 4.05. Disconnectivity in Xuyong's street network follows a zig-zag trend. In 2001-2014, the city was most disconnected; while it was most connected in 1991-2000.

Xuyong and Sichuan do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi in Xuyong followed a zig-zag trend with an overall decrease, while the SNDi of street constructions in Sichuan was at its lowest in 1991-2000.

How do development practices in Xuyong fare in comparison to others in Sichuan? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Xuyong was the 25th-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 Xuyong has become more connected. Xuyong ranked 5th in 1975, 32nd in 1976-1990, 1st in 1991-2000 and 25th in 2001-2014.

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

How do development practices in Xuyong fare in comparison to others in China? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Xuyong was the 327th-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 Xuyong has become more connected. Xuyong ranked 76th in 1975, 429th in 1976-1990, 5th in 1991-2000 and 327th in 2001-2014.

Xuyong and Sichuan do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi in Xuyong followed a zig-zag trend with an overall decrease, while the SNDi of street constructions in Sichuan was at its lowest in 1991-2000.

To date, Xuyong is the 16th-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 Xuyong has become more connected. Xuyong ranked 5th in 1975, 12th in 1976-1990, 7th in 1991-2000 and 16th in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Xuyong is the 93rd-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 Xuyong has become more connected. Xuyong ranked 76th in 1975, 87th in 1976-1990, 39th in 1991-2000 and 93rd in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Xuyong had a built-up area of 2.59 square kilometers, and a population of 100838 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: