Street-network Sprawl in Kurnool, 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.

Kurnool: 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 Kurnool, India on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Kurnool as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 2.46, 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 2.02, 2.81, 2.65 and 2.69. Disconnectivity in street construction in Kurnool follows a zig-zag trend. In 1975, street construction was most disconnected, while construction was most connected in 1976-1990.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Kurnool spans a total of 602 kilometers. The period with the greatest volume of street construction was 2001-2014. These roads have an SNDi of 2.69, which is in the 40th to 60th percentile of disconnectedness.

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 2.02, 2.39, 2.46 and 2.46. Overall, the SNDi of the aggregate street network has risen: the street network in Kurnool has become more disconnected. This increase has slowed: between 1975 and 1976-1990, SNDi rose by 0.37 points, but between 1991-2000 and 2001-2014, it rose by just 0.0.

Kurnool and Andhra Pradesh do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi in Kurnool followed a zig-zag trend with an overall increase, while the SNDi of street constructions in Andhra Pradesh rose steadily.

How do development practices in Kurnool fare in comparison to others in Andhra Pradesh? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Kurnool was the 48th-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, street construction in Kurnool has become more connected. Kurnool ranked 31st in 1975, 32nd in 1976-1990, 42nd in 1991-2000 and 48th in 2001-2014.

Kurnool and India do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi in Kurnool followed a zig-zag trend with an overall increase, while the SNDi of street constructions in India rose steadily.

How do development practices in Kurnool fare in comparison to others in India? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Kurnool was the 751st-most disconnected out of the 1716 cities in India. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in India, street construction in Kurnool has become more connected. Kurnool ranked 479th in 1975, 494th in 1976-1990, 621st in 1991-2000 and 751st in 2001-2014.

Kurnool 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, Kurnool is the 58th-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 Kurnool has become more connected. Kurnool ranked 31st in 1975, 46th in 1976-1990, 48th in 1991-2000 and 58th in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Kurnool is the 849th-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 Kurnool has become more connected. Kurnool ranked 479th in 1975, 644th in 1976-1990, 735th in 1991-2000 and 849th in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Kurnool had a built-up area of 15.37 square kilometers, and a population of 473599 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: