Street-network Sprawl in Munich, 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.

Munich: 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 Munich, Germany on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Munich as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 0.32, which is very well-connected.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are 0.28, 0.46, 1.17 and 1.25. In each period, new street development in Munich steadily grows more disconnected than in the last. 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 0.08.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Munich spans a total of 3450 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed prior to 1975. These roads have an SNDi of 0.28, which is very 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 0.28, 0.31, 0.31 and 0.32. Overall, the SNDi of the aggregate street network has risen: the street network in Munich has become more disconnected. This increase has slowed: between 1975 and 1976-1990, SNDi rose by 0.03 points, but between 1991-2000 and 2001-2014, it rose by just 0.01.

Munich and Bayern do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi in Munich rose steadily, while the SNDi of street constructions in Bayern peaked in 1991-2000.

How do development practices in Munich fare in comparison to others in Bayern? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Munich was the 8th-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 Munich has become more disconnected. Munich ranked 13th in 1975, 13th in 1976-1990, 10th in 1991-2000 and 8th in 2001-2014.

Munich and Germany do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi in Munich rose steadily, while the SNDi of street constructions in Germany peaked in 1991-2000.

How do development practices in Munich fare in comparison to others in Germany? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Munich was the 73rd-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 Munich has become more disconnected. Munich ranked 86th in 1975, 87th in 1976-1990, 71st in 1991-2000 and 73rd in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Munich is the 13th-most disconnected out of the 13 cities in Bayern. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has not changed. Munich ranked 13th in 1975, 13th in 1976-1990, 13th in 1991-2000 and 13th in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Munich is the 86th-most disconnected out of the 87 cities in Germany. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has not changed. Munich ranked 86th in 1975, 86th in 1976-1990, 86th in 1991-2000 and 86th in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Munich had a built-up area of 207.61 square kilometers, and a population of 1573652 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: