Street-network Sprawl in Jinghai, 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.

Jinghai: city in Tianjin, 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 Jinghai, China on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Jinghai as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 1.49, which is relatively well-connected.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are -0.66, 1.73, 0.67 and 0.41. Street construction in Jinghai 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 Jinghai spans a total of 232 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed in 1976-1990. These roads have an SNDi of 1.73, 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 -0.66, 1.71, 1.64 and 1.49. The aggregate street network in Jinghai increased in disconnectivity initially,but the trend has turned around after 1990.

Jinghai and Tianjin do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi in Jinghai peaked in 1976-1990, while the SNDi of street constructions in Tianjin peaked in 1991-2000.

How do development practices in Jinghai fare in comparison to others in Tianjin? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Jinghai was the 13th-most disconnected out of the 14 cities in Tianjin. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Tianjin, street construction in Jinghai has become more connected. Jinghai ranked 10th in 1975, 8th in 1976-1990, 11th in 1991-2000 and 13th in 2001-2014.

Jinghai and China do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi in Jinghai 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 Jinghai fare in comparison to others in China? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Jinghai was the 1197th-most disconnected out of the 1651 cities in China. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has risen; relative to other cities in China, street construction in Jinghai has become more disconnected. Jinghai ranked 1229th in 1975, 771st in 1976-1990, 904th in 1991-2000 and 1197th in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Jinghai is the 9th-most disconnected out of the 14 cities in Tianjin. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has risen; relative to other cities in Tianjin, the street network in Jinghai has become more disconnected. Jinghai ranked 10th in 1975, 9th in 1976-1990, 10th in 1991-2000 and 9th in 2001-2014.

Jinghai and China follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi for both of these peaked in 1976-1990.

To date, Jinghai is the 963rd-most disconnected out of the 1651 cities in China. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has risen; relative to other cities in China, the street network in Jinghai has become more disconnected. Jinghai ranked 1229th in 1975, 780th in 1976-1990, 828th in 1991-2000 and 963rd in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Jinghai had a built-up area of 17.02 square kilometers, and a population of 190044 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: