Street-network Sprawl in Mokama, 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.

Mokama: 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 Mokama, India on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Mokama 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 2.61, 3.18, nan and nan. Data was not available in 1991-2000 and 2001-2014.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Mokama spans a total of 65 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed prior to 1975. These roads have an SNDi of 2.61, 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 2.61, 3.0, 2.94 and 2.94. Disconnectivity in Mokama's street network follows a zig-zag trend. In 1975, the city was most disconnected; while it was most connected in 1976-1990.

Mokama and Bihar 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 Bihar followed a zig-zag trend with an overall increase.

How do development practices in Mokama fare in comparison to others in Bihar? 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 Mokama has become more connected. Mokama ranked 18th in 1975 and 36th in 1976-1990. There was no ranking in 1991-2000 and 2001-2014 due to unavailable data.

Mokama 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 Mokama fare in comparison to others in India? 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 Mokama has become more connected. Mokama ranked 364th in 1975 and 403rd in 1976-1990. There was no ranking in 1991-2000 and 2001-2014 due to unavailable data.

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

To date, Mokama is the 49th-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 Mokama has become more connected. Mokama ranked 18th in 1975, 38th in 1976-1990, 42nd in 1991-2000 and 49th in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Mokama is the 659th-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 Mokama has become more connected. Mokama ranked 364th in 1975, 445th in 1976-1990, 561st in 1991-2000 and 659th in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Mokama had a built-up area of 3.74 square kilometers, and a population of 156607 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: