Street-network Sprawl in 's-Hertogenbosch, Netherlands

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.

's-Hertogenbosch: city in Noord-Brabant, Netherlands

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 's-Hertogenbosch, Netherlands on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in 's-Hertogenbosch as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 1.03, which is relatively well-connected.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are 0.88, 1.16, 1.18 and 1.65. In each period, new street development in 's-Hertogenbosch steadily grows more disconnected than in the last.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in 's-Hertogenbosch spans a total of 677 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed prior to 1975. These roads have an SNDi of 0.88, 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 0.88, 0.96, 0.98 and 1.03. Overall, the SNDi of the aggregate street network has risen: the street network in 's-Hertogenbosch has become more disconnected. This increase has slowed: between 1975 and 1976-1990, SNDi rose by 0.08 points, but between 1991-2000 and 2001-2014, it rose by just 0.05.

's-Hertogenbosch and Noord-Brabant do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi in 's-Hertogenbosch rose steadily, while the SNDi of street constructions in Noord-Brabant followed a zig-zag trend with an overall increase.

How do development practices in 's-Hertogenbosch fare in comparison to others in Noord-Brabant? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in 's-Hertogenbosch was the 4th-most disconnected out of the 6 cities in Noord-Brabant. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has risen; relative to other cities in Noord-Brabant, street construction in 's-Hertogenbosch has become more disconnected. 's-Hertogenbosch ranked 6th in 1975, 6th in 1976-1990, 5th in 1991-2000 and 4th in 2001-2014.

's-Hertogenbosch and Netherlands follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi for both of these rose steadily.

How do development practices in 's-Hertogenbosch fare in comparison to others in Netherlands? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in 's-Hertogenbosch was the 27th-most disconnected out of the 37 cities in Netherlands. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has risen; relative to other cities in Netherlands, street construction in 's-Hertogenbosch has become more disconnected. 's-Hertogenbosch ranked 34th in 1975, 34th in 1976-1990, 33rd in 1991-2000 and 27th in 2001-2014.

's-Hertogenbosch and Noord-Brabant follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi for both of these rose steadily.

To date, 's-Hertogenbosch is the 6th-most disconnected out of the 6 cities in Noord-Brabant. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has not changed. 's-Hertogenbosch ranked 6th in 1975, 6th in 1976-1990, 6th in 1991-2000 and 6th in 2001-2014.

's-Hertogenbosch and Netherlands follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi for both of these rose steadily.

To date, 's-Hertogenbosch is the 34th-most disconnected out of the 37 cities in Netherlands. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has not changed. 's-Hertogenbosch ranked 34th in 1975, 33rd in 1976-1990, 33rd in 1991-2000 and 34th in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, 's-Hertogenbosch had a built-up area of 28.27 square kilometers, and a population of 121267 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: