Street-network Sprawl in Kuppam, 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.

Kuppam: 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 Kuppam, India on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Kuppam as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 4.25, which is highly disconnected.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are 1.87, 5.2, 5.37 and 5.49. In each period, new street development in Kuppam steadily grows more disconnected than in the last. This increase has slowed: between 1975 and 1976-1990, SNDi rose by 3.34 points, but between 1991-2000 and 2001-2014, it rose by just 0.12.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Kuppam spans a total of 69 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed in 1991-2000. These roads have an SNDi of 5.37, 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 1.87, 3.38, 4.26 and 4.25. The aggregate street network in Kuppam increased in disconnectivity initially,but the trend has turned around after 2000.

Kuppam 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 Kuppam fare in comparison to others in Andhra Pradesh? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Kuppam was the 13th-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 Kuppam has become more disconnected. Kuppam ranked 33rd in 1975, 5th in 1976-1990, 7th in 1991-2000 and 13th in 2001-2014.

Kuppam 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 Kuppam fare in comparison to others in India? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Kuppam was the 175th-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 Kuppam has become more disconnected. Kuppam ranked 509th in 1975, 80th in 1976-1990, 145th in 1991-2000 and 175th in 2001-2014.

Kuppam and Andhra Pradesh do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi in Kuppam peaked in 1991-2000, while the SNDi of street constructions in Andhra Pradesh rose steadily.

To date, Kuppam is the 14th-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, the street network in Kuppam has become more disconnected. Kuppam ranked 33rd in 1975, 21st in 1976-1990, 13th in 1991-2000 and 14th in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Kuppam is the 252nd-most disconnected out of the 1716 cities in India. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has risen; relative to other cities in India, the street network in Kuppam has become more disconnected. Kuppam ranked 509th in 1975, 339th in 1976-1990, 202nd in 1991-2000 and 252nd in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Kuppam had a built-up area of 1.06 square kilometers, and a population of 94015 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: