Street-network Sprawl in Saikhoa Ghat, 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.

Saikhoa Ghat: city in Assam, 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 Saikhoa Ghat, India on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Saikhoa Ghat as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 3.42, which is highly disconnected.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are nan, 3.61, nan and nan. Data was not available in 1975, 1991-2000 and 2001-2014.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Saikhoa Ghat spans a total of 12 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed prior to 1975. These roads have an SNDi of nan, 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 nan, 3.61, 3.61 and 3.42. Data was not available in 1975.

Saikhoa Ghat and Assam do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. There was not enough data from the city, while the SNDi of street constructions in Assam rose steadily.

How do development practices in Saikhoa Ghat fare in comparison to others in Assam? out of the 30 cities in Assam. Saikhoa Ghat ranked 12th in 1976-1990. There was no ranking in 1975, 1991-2000, and 2001-2014 due to unavailable data.

Saikhoa Ghat and India do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. There was not enough data from the city, while the SNDi of street constructions in India rose steadily.

How do development practices in Saikhoa Ghat fare in comparison to others in India? out of the 1716 cities in India. Saikhoa Ghat ranked 290th in 1976-1990. There was no ranking in 1975, 1991-2000, and 2001-2014 due to unavailable data.

Saikhoa Ghat and Assam do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. There was not enough data from the city, while the SNDi of street constructions in Assam rose steadily.

To date, Saikhoa Ghat is the 17th-most disconnected out of the 30 cities in Assam. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Assam, the street network in Saikhoa Ghat has become more connected. Saikhoa Ghat ranked 13th in 1976-1990, 15th in 1991-2000 and 17th in 2001-2014. There was no ranking in 1975 due to unavailable data.

Saikhoa Ghat and India do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. There was not enough data from the city, while the SNDi of street constructions in India rose steadily.

To date, Saikhoa Ghat is the 489th-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 Saikhoa Ghat has become more connected. Saikhoa Ghat ranked 291st in 1976-1990, 338th in 1991-2000 and 489th in 2001-2014. There was no ranking in 1975 due to unavailable data.

As of 2015, Saikhoa Ghat had a built-up area of 0.77 square kilometers, and a population of 71062 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: