Street-network Sprawl in Biel/Bienne, 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.

Biel/Bienne: city in Bern, 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 Biel/Bienne, Switzerland on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Biel/Bienne as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 0.77, which is relatively well-connected.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are 0.63, 2.61, 1.49 and 2.84. Disconnectivity in street construction in Biel/Bienne 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 Biel/Bienne spans a total of 211 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed prior to 1975. These roads have an SNDi of 0.63, 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 0.63, 0.75, 0.76 and 0.77. Overall, the SNDi of the aggregate street network has risen: the street network in Biel/Bienne has become more disconnected. This increase has slowed: between 1975 and 1976-1990, SNDi rose by 0.12 points, but between 1991-2000 and 2001-2014, it rose by just 0.01.

Biel/Bienne and Bern do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi in Biel/Bienne followed a zig-zag trend with an overall increase, while the SNDi of street constructions in Bern peaked in 1991-2000.

How do development practices in Biel/Bienne fare in comparison to others in Bern? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Biel/Bienne was the 2nd-most disconnected out of the 3 cities in Bern. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has risen; relative to other cities in Bern, street construction in Biel/Bienne has become more disconnected. Biel/Bienne ranked 3rd in 1975, 3rd in 1976-1990, 1st in 1991-2000 and 2nd in 2001-2014.

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

How do development practices in Biel/Bienne fare in comparison to others in Switzerland? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Biel/Bienne was the 11th-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 Biel/Bienne has become more disconnected. Biel/Bienne ranked 14th in 1975, 12th in 1976-1990, 9th in 1991-2000 and 11th in 2001-2014.

Biel/Bienne and Bern follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi for both of these rose steadily.

To date, Biel/Bienne is the 3rd-most disconnected out of the 3 cities in Bern. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has not changed. Biel/Bienne ranked 3rd in 1975, 3rd in 1976-1990, 3rd in 1991-2000 and 3rd in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Biel/Bienne is the 14th-most disconnected out of the 16 cities in Switzerland. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has not changed. Biel/Bienne ranked 14th in 1975, 14th in 1976-1990, 14th in 1991-2000 and 14th in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Biel/Bienne had a built-up area of 11.45 square kilometers, and a population of 64351 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: