Street-network Sprawl in Basel, Switzerland

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.

Basel: city in Basel-Landschaft, Switzerland

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 Basel, Switzerland on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Basel as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 1.11, which is relatively well-connected.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are 1.01, 2.39, 1.75 and 3.36. Disconnectivity in street construction in Basel follows a zig-zag trend. In 1975, street construction was most disconnected, while construction was most connected in 2001-2014.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Basel spans a total of 1496 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed prior to 1975. These roads have an SNDi of 1.01, 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 1.01, 1.1, 1.1 and 1.11. Overall, the SNDi of the aggregate street network has risen: the street network in Basel 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 0.01.

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

How do development practices in Basel fare in comparison to others in Basel-Landschaft? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Basel was the 1st-most disconnected out of the 1 cities in Basel-Landschaft. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has not changed. Basel ranked 1st in 1975, 1st in 1976-1990, 1st in 1991-2000 and 1st in 2001-2014.

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

How do development practices in Basel fare in comparison to others in Switzerland? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Basel was the 10th-most disconnected out of the 16 cities in Switzerland. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has risen; relative to other cities in Switzerland, street construction in Basel has become more disconnected. Basel ranked 11th in 1975, 13th in 1976-1990, 8th in 1991-2000 and 10th in 2001-2014.

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

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

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

To date, Basel is the 11th-most disconnected out of the 16 cities in Switzerland. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has not changed. Basel ranked 11th in 1975, 11th in 1976-1990, 11th in 1991-2000 and 11th in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Basel had a built-up area of 83.18 square kilometers, and a population of 428721 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: