Street-network Sprawl in Aschaffenburg, Germany

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.

Aschaffenburg: city in Bayern, Germany

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 Aschaffenburg, Germany on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Aschaffenburg as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 1.38, which is relatively well-connected.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are 1.17, 2.02, 3.16 and 3.03. Street construction in Aschaffenburg 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 Aschaffenburg spans a total of 419 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed prior to 1975. These roads have an SNDi of 1.17, 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 1.17, 1.36, 1.37 and 1.38. Overall, the SNDi of the aggregate street network has risen: the street network in Aschaffenburg has become more disconnected. This increase has slowed: between 1975 and 1976-1990, SNDi rose by 0.18 points, but between 1991-2000 and 2001-2014, it rose by just 0.01.

Aschaffenburg and Bayern follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi for both of these peaked in 1991-2000.

How do development practices in Aschaffenburg fare in comparison to others in Bayern? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Aschaffenburg was the 5th-most disconnected out of the 13 cities in Bayern. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has risen; relative to other cities in Bayern, street construction in Aschaffenburg has become more disconnected. Aschaffenburg ranked 6th in 1975, 7th in 1976-1990, 3rd in 1991-2000 and 5th in 2001-2014.

Aschaffenburg and Germany follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi for both of these peaked in 1991-2000.

How do development practices in Aschaffenburg fare in comparison to others in Germany? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Aschaffenburg was the 25th-most disconnected out of the 87 cities in Germany. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has risen; relative to other cities in Germany, street construction in Aschaffenburg has become more disconnected. Aschaffenburg ranked 35th in 1975, 40th in 1976-1990, 20th in 1991-2000 and 25th in 2001-2014.

Aschaffenburg and Bayern follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi for both of these rose steadily.

To date, Aschaffenburg is the 5th-most disconnected out of the 13 cities in Bayern. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has risen; relative to other cities in Bayern, the street network in Aschaffenburg has become more disconnected. Aschaffenburg ranked 6th in 1975, 5th in 1976-1990, 5th in 1991-2000 and 5th in 2001-2014.

Aschaffenburg and Germany follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi for both of these rose steadily.

To date, Aschaffenburg is the 30th-most disconnected out of the 87 cities in Germany. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has risen; relative to other cities in Germany, the street network in Aschaffenburg has become more disconnected. Aschaffenburg ranked 35th in 1975, 30th in 1976-1990, 30th in 1991-2000 and 30th in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Aschaffenburg had a built-up area of 21.05 square kilometers, and a population of 83024 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: