Street-network Sprawl in Charter Township of Ypsilanti, United States

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.

Charter Township of Ypsilanti: city in Michigan, United States

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 Charter Township of Ypsilanti, United States on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Charter Township of Ypsilanti as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 2.38, which is in the 40th to 60th percentile of disconnectedness.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are 2.19, 2.86, 4.15 and 2.53. Street construction in Charter Township of Ypsilanti 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 Charter Township of Ypsilanti spans a total of 478 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed prior to 1975. These roads have an SNDi of 2.19, 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 2.19, 2.31, 2.38 and 2.38. The aggregate street network in Charter Township of Ypsilanti increased in disconnectivity initially,but the trend has turned around after 2000.

Charter Township of Ypsilanti and Michigan do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi in Charter Township of Ypsilanti peaked in 1991-2000, while the SNDi of street constructions in Michigan rose steadily.

How do development practices in Charter Township of Ypsilanti fare in comparison to others in Michigan? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Charter Township of Ypsilanti was the 9th-most disconnected out of the 9 cities in Michigan. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Michigan, street construction in Charter Township of Ypsilanti has become more connected. Charter Township of Ypsilanti ranked 3rd in 1975, 8th in 1976-1990, 9th in 1991-2000 and 9th in 2001-2014.

Charter Township of Ypsilanti and United States 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 Charter Township of Ypsilanti fare in comparison to others in United States? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Charter Township of Ypsilanti was the 293rd-most disconnected out of the 315 cities in United States. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in United States, street construction in Charter Township of Ypsilanti has become more connected. Charter Township of Ypsilanti ranked 183rd in 1975, 272nd in 1976-1990, 243rd in 1991-2000 and 293rd in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Charter Township of Ypsilanti is the 4th-most disconnected out of the 9 cities in Michigan. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Michigan, the street network in Charter Township of Ypsilanti has become more connected. Charter Township of Ypsilanti ranked 3rd in 1975, 4th in 1976-1990, 4th in 1991-2000 and 4th in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Charter Township of Ypsilanti is the 230th-most disconnected out of the 315 cities in United States. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in United States, the street network in Charter Township of Ypsilanti has become more connected. Charter Township of Ypsilanti ranked 183rd in 1975, 215th in 1976-1990, 225th in 1991-2000 and 230th in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Charter Township of Ypsilanti had a built-up area of 30.46 square kilometers, and a population of 67985 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: