Street-network Sprawl in Sultanganj, 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.

Sultanganj: 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 Sultanganj, India on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Sultanganj as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 1.49, which is relatively well-connected.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are nan, 1.51, nan and nan. Data was not available in 1975, 1991-2000 and 2001-2014.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Sultanganj spans a total of 34 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed in 1976-1990. These roads have an SNDi of 1.51, 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 nan, 1.49, 1.49 and 1.49. Data was not available in 1975.

Sultanganj 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 Sultanganj fare in comparison to others in Bihar? out of the 120 cities in Bihar. Sultanganj ranked 57th in 1976-1990. There was no ranking in 1975, 1991-2000, and 2001-2014 due to unavailable data.

Sultanganj 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 Sultanganj fare in comparison to others in India? out of the 1716 cities in India. Sultanganj ranked 845th in 1976-1990. There was no ranking in 1975, 1991-2000, and 2001-2014 due to unavailable data.

Sultanganj and Bihar 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 Bihar rose steadily.

To date, Sultanganj is the 72nd-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 Sultanganj has become more connected. Sultanganj ranked 61st in 1976-1990, 63rd in 1991-2000 and 72nd in 2001-2014. There was no ranking in 1975 due to unavailable data.

Sultanganj 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, Sultanganj is the 1175th-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 Sultanganj has become more connected. Sultanganj ranked 932nd in 1976-1990, 1050th in 1991-2000 and 1175th in 2001-2014. There was no ranking in 1975 due to unavailable data.

As of 2015, Sultanganj had a built-up area of 2.15 square kilometers, and a population of 169699 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: