Street-network Sprawl in Chandigarh, 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.

Chandigarh: city in 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 Chandigarh, India on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Chandigarh as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 3.64, which is highly disconnected.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are 3.58, 3.62, 3.6 and 3.89. Disconnectivity in street construction in Chandigarh follows a zig-zag trend. In 1975, street construction was most disconnected, while construction was most connected in 2001-2014.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Chandigarh spans a total of 3001 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed prior to 1975. These roads have an SNDi of 3.58, 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 3.58, 3.59, 3.61 and 3.64. Overall, the SNDi of the aggregate street network has risen: the street network in Chandigarh has become more disconnected.

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

How do development practices in Chandigarh fare in comparison to others in Chandigarh? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Chandigarh was the 1st-most disconnected out of the 1 cities in Chandigarh. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has not changed. Chandigarh ranked 1st in 1975, 1st in 1976-1990, 1st in 1991-2000 and 1st in 2001-2014.

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

How do development practices in Chandigarh fare in comparison to others in India? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Chandigarh was the 474th-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 Chandigarh has become more connected. Chandigarh ranked 210th in 1975, 286th in 1976-1990, 412th in 1991-2000 and 474th in 2001-2014.

Chandigarh and Chandigarh follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi for both of these rose steadily.

To date, Chandigarh is the 1st-most disconnected out of the 1 cities in Chandigarh. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has not changed. Chandigarh ranked 1st in 1975, 1st in 1976-1990, 1st in 1991-2000 and 1st in 2001-2014.

Chandigarh and India follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi for both of these rose steadily.

To date, Chandigarh is the 404th-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 Chandigarh has become more connected. Chandigarh ranked 210th in 1975, 295th in 1976-1990, 340th in 1991-2000 and 404th in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Chandigarh had a built-up area of 65.78 square kilometers, and a population of 2169863 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: