Street-network Sprawl in Dhamtari, 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.

Dhamtari: city in Chhattisgarh, 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 Dhamtari, India on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Dhamtari as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 3.7, which is highly disconnected.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are 1.47, 3.79, 5.09 and 5.16. In each period, new street development in Dhamtari steadily grows more disconnected than in the last. This increase has slowed: between 1975 and 1976-1990, SNDi rose by 2.32 points, but between 1991-2000 and 2001-2014, it rose by just 0.07.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Dhamtari spans a total of 95 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed in 2001-2014. These roads have an SNDi of 5.16, 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 1.47, 3.06, 3.15 and 3.7. Overall, the SNDi of the aggregate street network has risen: the street network in Dhamtari has become more disconnected. This increase has slowed: between 1975 and 1976-1990, SNDi rose by 1.59 points, but between 1991-2000 and 2001-2014, it rose by just 0.55.

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

How do development practices in Dhamtari fare in comparison to others in Chhattisgarh? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Dhamtari was the 5th-most disconnected out of the 22 cities in Chhattisgarh. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has risen; relative to other cities in Chhattisgarh, street construction in Dhamtari has become more disconnected. Dhamtari ranked 9th in 1975, 4th in 1976-1990, 3rd in 1991-2000 and 5th in 2001-2014.

Dhamtari and India follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi for both of these rose steadily.

How do development practices in Dhamtari fare in comparison to others in India? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Dhamtari was the 211th-most disconnected out of the 1716 cities in India. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has risen; relative to other cities in India, street construction in Dhamtari has become more disconnected. Dhamtari ranked 578th in 1975, 253rd in 1976-1990, 174th in 1991-2000 and 211th in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Dhamtari is the 6th-most disconnected out of the 22 cities in Chhattisgarh. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has risen; relative to other cities in Chhattisgarh, the street network in Dhamtari has become more disconnected. Dhamtari ranked 9th in 1975, 7th in 1976-1990, 8th in 1991-2000 and 6th in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Dhamtari is the 391st-most disconnected out of the 1716 cities in India. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has risen; relative to other cities in India, the street network in Dhamtari has become more disconnected. Dhamtari ranked 578th in 1975, 429th in 1976-1990, 485th in 1991-2000 and 391st in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Dhamtari had a built-up area of 4.59 square kilometers, and a population of 159644 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: