Street-network Sprawl in Fotang, 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.

Fotang: city in Zhejiang, 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 Fotang, China on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Fotang as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 1.36, which is relatively well-connected.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are 0.47, 1.68, 1.87 and 0.64. Street construction in Fotang increased in disconnectivity initially but has since improved. The streets constructed in 1991-2000 were the most disconnected.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Fotang spans a total of 107 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed in 1976-1990. These roads have an SNDi of 1.68, 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 0.47, 1.38, 1.51 and 1.36. The aggregate street network in Fotang increased in disconnectivity initially,but the trend has turned around after 2000.

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

How do development practices in Fotang fare in comparison to others in Zhejiang? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Fotang was the 77th-most disconnected out of the 94 cities in Zhejiang. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Zhejiang, street construction in Fotang has become more connected. Fotang ranked 68th in 1975, 54th in 1976-1990, 30th in 1991-2000 and 77th in 2001-2014.

Fotang and China do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi in Fotang peaked 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 Fotang fare in comparison to others in China? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Fotang was the 1129th-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 Fotang has become more connected. Fotang ranked 1007th in 1975, 792nd in 1976-1990, 530th in 1991-2000 and 1129th in 2001-2014.

Fotang and Zhejiang do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi in Fotang peaked in 1991-2000, while the SNDi of street constructions in Zhejiang peaked in 1976-1990.

To date, Fotang is the 69th-most disconnected out of the 94 cities in Zhejiang. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Zhejiang, the street network in Fotang has become more connected. Fotang ranked 68th in 1975, 66th in 1976-1990, 60th in 1991-2000 and 69th in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Fotang is the 1032nd-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 Fotang has become more connected. Fotang ranked 1007th in 1975, 953rd in 1976-1990, 893rd in 1991-2000 and 1032nd in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Fotang had a built-up area of 10.13 square kilometers, and a population of 67659 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: