Street-network Sprawl in Jaynagar, 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.

Jaynagar: city in Bihar, 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 Jaynagar, India on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Jaynagar as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 2.92, 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 2.37, 2.56, 4.96 and 0.24. Street construction in Jaynagar increased in disconnectivity initially but has since improved. The streets constructed in 1991-2000 were the most disconnected.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Jaynagar spans a total of 51 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed in 1976-1990. These roads have an SNDi of 2.56, 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 2.37, 2.44, 2.96 and 2.92. The aggregate street network in Jaynagar increased in disconnectivity initially,but the trend has turned around after 2000.

Jaynagar and Bihar do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi in Jaynagar peaked in 1991-2000, while the SNDi of street constructions in Bihar followed a zig-zag trend with an overall increase.

How do development practices in Jaynagar fare in comparison to others in Bihar? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Jaynagar was the 57th-most disconnected out of the 120 cities in Bihar. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Bihar, street construction in Jaynagar has become more connected. Jaynagar ranked 21st in 1975, 47th in 1976-1990, 9th in 1991-2000 and 57th in 2001-2014.

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

How do development practices in Jaynagar fare in comparison to others in India? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Jaynagar was the 1124th-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 Jaynagar has become more connected. Jaynagar ranked 417th in 1975, 575th in 1976-1990, 188th in 1991-2000 and 1124th in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Jaynagar is the 51st-most disconnected out of the 120 cities in Bihar. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Bihar, the street network in Jaynagar has become more connected. Jaynagar ranked 21st in 1975, 50th in 1976-1990, 41st in 1991-2000 and 51st in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Jaynagar is the 670th-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 Jaynagar has become more connected. Jaynagar ranked 417th in 1975, 626th in 1976-1990, 547th in 1991-2000 and 670th in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Jaynagar had a built-up area of 1.73 square kilometers, and a population of 102194 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: