Street-network Sprawl in Lowestoft, United Kingdom

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.

Lowestoft: city in England, United Kingdom

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 Lowestoft, United Kingdom on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Lowestoft as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 3.43, which is highly disconnected.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are 3.31, 3.25, 4.36 and 5.08. The disconnectivity of new streets constructed in Lowestoft fell, then rose. In 1976-1990, new street layouts were the most connected.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Lowestoft spans a total of 262 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed prior to 1975. These roads have an SNDi of 3.31, which is highly disconnected.

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 3.31, 3.3, 3.34 and 3.43. The SNDi of the aggregate street network in fell at first, but Lowestoft has worsened in disconnectivity since 1990.

Lowestoft and England do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi in Lowestoft was at its lowest in 1976-1990, while the SNDi of street constructions in England peaked in 1991-2000.

How do development practices in Lowestoft fare in comparison to others in England? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Lowestoft was the 50th-most disconnected out of the 117 cities in England. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has risen; relative to other cities in England, street construction in Lowestoft has become more disconnected. Lowestoft ranked 80th in 1975, 115th in 1976-1990, 81st in 1991-2000 and 50th in 2001-2014.

Lowestoft and United Kingdom do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi in Lowestoft was at its lowest in 1976-1990, while the SNDi of street constructions in United Kingdom peaked in 1991-2000.

How do development practices in Lowestoft fare in comparison to others in United Kingdom? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Lowestoft was the 58th-most disconnected out of the 138 cities in United Kingdom. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has risen; relative to other cities in United Kingdom, street construction in Lowestoft has become more disconnected. Lowestoft ranked 96th in 1975, 136th in 1976-1990, 98th in 1991-2000 and 58th in 2001-2014.

Lowestoft and England do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi in Lowestoft was at its lowest in 1976-1990, while the SNDi of street constructions in England peaked in 1991-2000.

To date, Lowestoft is the 84th-most disconnected out of the 117 cities in England. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in England, the street network in Lowestoft has become more connected. Lowestoft ranked 80th in 1975, 87th in 1976-1990, 87th in 1991-2000 and 84th in 2001-2014.

Lowestoft and United Kingdom do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi in Lowestoft was at its lowest in 1976-1990, while the SNDi of street constructions in United Kingdom peaked in 1991-2000.

To date, Lowestoft is the 100th-most disconnected out of the 138 cities in United Kingdom. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in United Kingdom, the street network in Lowestoft has become more connected. Lowestoft ranked 96th in 1975, 104th in 1976-1990, 103rd in 1991-2000 and 100th in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Lowestoft had a built-up area of 14.92 square kilometers, and a population of 67433 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: