Street-network Sprawl in Dinajpur, Bangladesh

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.

Dinajpur: city in Rangpur, Bangladesh

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 Dinajpur, Bangladesh on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Dinajpur as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 3.31, which is highly disconnected.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are 2.13, 2.81, 3.71 and 4.36. In each period, new street development in Dinajpur steadily grows more disconnected than in the last. This increase has slowed: between 1975 and 1976-1990, SNDi rose by 0.68 points, but between 1991-2000 and 2001-2014, it rose by just 0.66.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Dinajpur spans a total of 259 kilometers. The period with the greatest volume of street construction was 2001-2014. These roads have an SNDi of 4.36, 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 2.13, 2.53, 2.92 and 3.31. Overall, the SNDi of the aggregate street network has risen: the street network in Dinajpur has become more disconnected. This increase has slowed: between 1975 and 1976-1990, SNDi rose by 0.41 points, but between 1991-2000 and 2001-2014, it rose by just 0.39.

Dinajpur and Rangpur follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi for both of these rose steadily.

How do development practices in Dinajpur fare in comparison to others in Rangpur? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Dinajpur was the 9th-most disconnected out of the 27 cities in Rangpur. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Rangpur, street construction in Dinajpur has become more connected. Dinajpur ranked 5th in 1975, 14th in 1976-1990, 10th in 1991-2000 and 9th in 2001-2014.

Dinajpur and Bangladesh follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi for both of these rose steadily.

How do development practices in Dinajpur fare in comparison to others in Bangladesh? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Dinajpur was the 44th-most disconnected out of the 157 cities in Bangladesh. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has risen; relative to other cities in Bangladesh, street construction in Dinajpur has become more disconnected. Dinajpur ranked 45th in 1975, 60th in 1976-1990, 52nd in 1991-2000 and 44th in 2001-2014.

Dinajpur and Rangpur follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi for both of these rose steadily.

To date, Dinajpur is the 12th-most disconnected out of the 27 cities in Rangpur. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Rangpur, the street network in Dinajpur has become more connected. Dinajpur ranked 5th in 1975, 16th in 1976-1990, 14th in 1991-2000 and 12th in 2001-2014.

Dinajpur and Bangladesh follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi for both of these rose steadily.

To date, Dinajpur is the 73rd-most disconnected out of the 157 cities in Bangladesh. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Bangladesh, the street network in Dinajpur has become more connected. Dinajpur ranked 45th in 1975, 69th in 1976-1990, 69th in 1991-2000 and 73rd in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Dinajpur had a built-up area of 15.08 square kilometers, and a population of 320515 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: