Street-network Sprawl in India

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.

India

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 India on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in India as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 3.73, which is highly disconnected.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are 3.27, 3.4, 3.92 and 4.5. In each period, new street development in India steadily grows more disconnected than in the last.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in India spans a total of 1130810 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed in 2001-2014. These roads have an SNDi of 4.5, 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 3.27, 3.35, 3.47 and 3.73. Overall, the SNDi of the aggregate street network has risen: the street network in India has become more disconnected.

The level of street-network sprawl in new development in India rose steadily. To get a sense of how street development has changed in India, we can consider three of its most populous regions: Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra and West Bengal. Disconnectivity in the most populous cities in India follow the same country trend.

How do development practices in India fare in comparison to others in the world? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in India was the 68th-most disconnected out of the 155 countries in the world. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other countries in the world, street construction in India has become more connected. India ranked 58th in 1975, 70th in 1976-1990, 86th in 1991-2000 and 68th in 2001-2014.

The largest city in India is Delhi [New Delhi], with a population of 26658700 people. Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Delhi [New Delhi] as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 3.49, which is highly disconnected. The level of street-network sprawl in new development in Delhi [New Delhi] rose steadily.

As of 2014, the city with the most disconnected street network in India is Balwadi with an SNDi of 11.09, which is highly disconnected. Conversely, the most connected city is Akbarpur with an SNDi of -3.9, which is very well-connected. See trends for these cities: Akbarpur, Balwadi

The level of street-network sprawl in the aggregate network in India rose steadily. To get a sense of how the aggregate street network has changed in India, we can consider three of its most populous regions: Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra and West Bengal. Disconnectivity in the most populous cities in India follow the same country trend.

To date, India is the 63rd-most disconnected out of the 155 countries in the world. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other countries in the world, the street network in India has become more connected. India ranked 58th in 1975, 67th in 1976-1990, 66th in 1991-2000 and 63rd in 2001-2014.

The largest city in India is Delhi [New Delhi], with a population of 26658700 people. Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Delhi [New Delhi] as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 3.49, which is highly disconnected. The level of street-network sprawl in the aggregate network in Delhi [New Delhi] rose steadily.