Street-network Sprawl in Eluru, 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.

Eluru: city in Andhra Pradesh, 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 Eluru, India on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Eluru as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 2.94, 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 2.23, 3.27, 3.65 and 6.61. In each period, new street development in Eluru steadily grows more disconnected than in the last.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Eluru spans a total of 494 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed prior to 1975. These roads have an SNDi of 2.23, 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 2.23, 2.53, 2.7 and 2.94. Overall, the SNDi of the aggregate street network has risen: the street network in Eluru has become more disconnected. This increase has slowed: between 1975 and 1976-1990, SNDi rose by 0.3 points, but between 1991-2000 and 2001-2014, it rose by just 0.25.

Eluru and Andhra Pradesh 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 Eluru fare in comparison to others in Andhra Pradesh? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Eluru was the 5th-most disconnected out of the 97 cities in Andhra Pradesh. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has risen; relative to other cities in Andhra Pradesh, street construction in Eluru has become more disconnected. Eluru ranked 28th in 1975, 23rd in 1976-1990, 26th in 1991-2000 and 5th in 2001-2014.

Eluru and India 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 Eluru fare in comparison to others in India? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Eluru was the 71st-most disconnected out of the 1716 cities in India. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has risen; relative to other cities in India, street construction in Eluru has become more disconnected. Eluru ranked 442nd in 1975, 375th in 1976-1990, 394th in 1991-2000 and 71st in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Eluru is the 39th-most disconnected out of the 97 cities in Andhra Pradesh. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Andhra Pradesh, the street network in Eluru has become more connected. Eluru ranked 28th in 1975, 38th in 1976-1990, 41st in 1991-2000 and 39th in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Eluru is the 655th-most disconnected out of the 1716 cities in India. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in India, the street network in Eluru has become more connected. Eluru ranked 442nd in 1975, 597th in 1976-1990, 650th in 1991-2000 and 655th in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Eluru had a built-up area of 12.8 square kilometers, and a population of 380820 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: