Washington: region in 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 Washington, United States on the sprawlmap
Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Washington as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 5.05, which is highly disconnected.
Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are 3.66, 6.6, 7.37 and 7.19. Street construction in Washington 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 Washington spans a total of 92608 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed prior to 1975. These roads have an SNDi of 3.66, 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 3.66, 4.59, 4.86 and 5.05. Overall, the SNDi of the aggregate street network has risen: the street network in Washington has become more disconnected. This increase has slowed: between 1975 and 1976-1990, SNDi rose by 0.92 points, but between 1991-2000 and 2001-2014, it rose by just 0.19.
The level of street-network sprawl in new development in Washington peaked in 1991-2000. To get a sense of how street development has changed in Washington, we can consider three of its most populous cities: Seattle, Spokane and Kennewick. Out of the three cities, Spokane does not follow the same trend as the region. The level of street-network sprawl in new development in Spokane rose steadily.
How do development practices in Washington fare in comparison to others in United States? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Washington was the 4th-most disconnected out of the 46 regions in United States. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has risen; relative to other regions in United States, street construction in Washington has become more disconnected. Washington ranked 8th in 1975, 2nd in 1976-1990, 5th in 1991-2000 and 4th in 2001-2014.
As of 2014, the city with the most disconnected street network in Washington is Olympia with an SNDi of 4.61, which is highly disconnected. Conversely, the most connected city is Spokane with an SNDi of 1.41, which is relatively well-connected. See trends for these cities: Spokane, Olympia
The level of street-network sprawl in the aggregate network in Washington rose steadily. To get a sense of how the aggregate street network has changed in Washington, we can consider three of its most populous cities: Seattle, Spokane and Kennewick. Disconnectivity in the most populous cities in Washington follow the same region trend.
To date, Washington is the 7th-most disconnected out of the 46 regions in United States. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has risen; relative to other regions in United States, the street network in Washington has become more disconnected. Washington ranked 8th in 1975, 6th in 1976-1990, 6th in 1991-2000 and 7th in 2001-2014.