Street-network Sprawl in Muzaffarpur, 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.

Muzaffarpur: 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 Muzaffarpur, India on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Muzaffarpur as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 2.62, 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 0.22, 2.79, 2.81 and 2.17. Street construction in Muzaffarpur 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 Muzaffarpur spans a total of 367 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed in 2001-2014. These roads have an SNDi of 2.17, which is relatively well-connected.

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 0.22, 2.75, 2.75 and 2.62. The aggregate street network in Muzaffarpur increased in disconnectivity initially,but the trend has turned around after 1990.

Muzaffarpur and Bihar do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi in Muzaffarpur 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 Muzaffarpur fare in comparison to others in Bihar? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Muzaffarpur was the 40th-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 Muzaffarpur has become more connected. Muzaffarpur ranked 35th in 1975, 44th in 1976-1990, 21st in 1991-2000 and 40th in 2001-2014.

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

How do development practices in Muzaffarpur fare in comparison to others in India? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Muzaffarpur was the 846th-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 Muzaffarpur has become more connected. Muzaffarpur ranked 758th in 1975, 502nd in 1976-1990, 577th in 1991-2000 and 846th in 2001-2014.

Muzaffarpur and Bihar do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi in Muzaffarpur peaked in 1976-1990, while the SNDi of street constructions in Bihar rose steadily.

To date, Muzaffarpur is the 56th-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 Muzaffarpur has become more connected. Muzaffarpur ranked 35th in 1975, 46th in 1976-1990, 47th in 1991-2000 and 56th in 2001-2014.

Muzaffarpur and India do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi in Muzaffarpur peaked in 1976-1990, while the SNDi of street constructions in India rose steadily.

To date, Muzaffarpur is the 784th-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 Muzaffarpur has become more connected. Muzaffarpur ranked 758th in 1975, 529th in 1976-1990, 634th in 1991-2000 and 784th in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Muzaffarpur had a built-up area of 16.64 square kilometers, and a population of 1435601 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: