Street-network Sprawl in Warrington, 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.

Warrington: 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 Warrington, United Kingdom on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Warrington as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 4.31, which is highly disconnected.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are 3.81, 5.75, 6.78 and 5.49. Street construction in Warrington increased in disconnectivity initially but has since improved. The streets constructed in 1991-2000 were the most disconnected.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Warrington spans a total of 697 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed prior to 1975. These roads have an SNDi of 3.81, 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 3.81, 4.25, 4.31 and 4.31. Overall, the SNDi of the aggregate street network has risen: the street network in Warrington has become more disconnected. This increase has slowed: between 1975 and 1976-1990, SNDi rose by 0.45 points, but between 1991-2000 and 2001-2014, it rose by just 0.01.

Warrington and England follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi for both of these peaked in 1991-2000.

How do development practices in Warrington fare in comparison to others in England? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Warrington was the 36th-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 Warrington has become more disconnected. Warrington ranked 52nd in 1975, 41st in 1976-1990, 32nd in 1991-2000 and 36th in 2001-2014.

Warrington and United Kingdom follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi for both of these peaked in 1991-2000.

How do development practices in Warrington fare in comparison to others in United Kingdom? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Warrington was the 44th-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 Warrington has become more disconnected. Warrington ranked 65th in 1975, 57th in 1976-1990, 39th in 1991-2000 and 44th in 2001-2014.

Warrington and England do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi in Warrington rose steadily, while the SNDi of street constructions in England peaked in 1991-2000.

To date, Warrington is the 37th-most disconnected out of the 117 cities in England. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has risen; relative to other cities in England, the street network in Warrington has become more disconnected. Warrington ranked 52nd in 1975, 35th in 1976-1990, 38th in 1991-2000 and 37th in 2001-2014.

Warrington and United Kingdom do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi in Warrington rose steadily, while the SNDi of street constructions in United Kingdom peaked in 1991-2000.

To date, Warrington is the 44th-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, the street network in Warrington has become more disconnected. Warrington ranked 65th in 1975, 43rd in 1976-1990, 45th in 1991-2000 and 44th in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Warrington had a built-up area of 32.5 square kilometers, and a population of 156282 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: