Street-network Sprawl in Creil, France

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.

Creil: city in Hauts-de-France, France

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 Creil, France on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Creil as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 3.1, which is in the 40th to 60th percentile of disconnectedness.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are 3.14, 3.02, 1.98 and 1.83. In each period, new street development in Creil steadily grows more connected than in the last. This decrease has quickened: between 1975 and 1976-1990, SNDi fell by 0.12 points, but between 1991-2000 and 2001-2014, it fell by just 0.15.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Creil spans a total of 300 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed prior to 1975. These roads have an SNDi of 3.14, 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 3.14, 3.14, 3.11 and 3.1. Overall, the SNDi of the aggregate street network has fallen: the street network in Creil has become more connected. This decrease has quickened: between 1975 and 1976-1990, SNDi fell by 0.0 points, but between 1991-2000 and 2001-2014, it fell by just 0.01.

Creil and Hauts-de-France do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi in Creil fell steadily, while the SNDi of street constructions in Hauts-de-France rose steadily.

How do development practices in Creil fare in comparison to others in Hauts-de-France? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Creil was the 10th-most disconnected out of the 10 cities in Hauts-de-France. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Hauts-de-France, street construction in Creil has become more connected. Creil ranked 1st in 1975, 8th in 1976-1990, 7th in 1991-2000 and 10th in 2001-2014.

Creil and France do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi in Creil fell steadily, while the SNDi of street constructions in France rose steadily.

How do development practices in Creil fare in comparison to others in France? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Creil was the 71st-most disconnected out of the 76 cities in France. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in France, street construction in Creil has become more connected. Creil ranked 11th in 1975, 46th in 1976-1990, 57th in 1991-2000 and 71st in 2001-2014.

Creil and Hauts-de-France do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi in Creil fell steadily, while the SNDi of street constructions in Hauts-de-France rose steadily.

To date, Creil is the 1st-most disconnected out of the 10 cities in Hauts-de-France. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has not changed. Creil ranked 1st in 1975, 1st in 1976-1990, 1st in 1991-2000 and 1st in 2001-2014.

Creil and France do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi in Creil fell steadily, while the SNDi of street constructions in France rose steadily.

To date, Creil is the 17th-most disconnected out of the 76 cities in France. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in France, the street network in Creil has become more connected. Creil ranked 11th in 1975, 16th in 1976-1990, 17th in 1991-2000 and 17th in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Creil had a built-up area of 18.37 square kilometers, and a population of 73946 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: