Street-network Sprawl in Jahlod, 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.

Jahlod: city in Gujarat, 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 Jahlod, India on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Jahlod as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 4.13, which is highly disconnected.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are 4.19, 0.8, 3.43 and 4.66. The disconnectivity of new streets constructed in Jahlod fell, then rose. In 1976-1990, new street layouts were the most connected.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Jahlod spans a total of 35 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed in 1991-2000. These roads have an SNDi of 3.43, 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 4.19, 2.82, 3.42 and 4.13. The SNDi of the aggregate street network in fell at first, but Jahlod has worsened in disconnectivity since 1990.

Jahlod and Gujarat follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi for both of these was at its lowest in 1976-1990.

How do development practices in Jahlod fare in comparison to others in Gujarat? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Jahlod was the 20th-most disconnected out of the 108 cities in Gujarat. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Gujarat, street construction in Jahlod has become more connected. Jahlod ranked 10th in 1975, 58th in 1976-1990, 21st in 1991-2000 and 20th in 2001-2014.

Jahlod and India do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi in Jahlod was at its lowest in 1976-1990, while the SNDi of street constructions in India rose steadily.

How do development practices in Jahlod fare in comparison to others in India? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Jahlod was the 308th-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 Jahlod has become more connected. Jahlod ranked 143rd in 1975, 997th in 1976-1990, 451st in 1991-2000 and 308th in 2001-2014.

Jahlod and Gujarat follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi for both of these was at its lowest in 1976-1990.

To date, Jahlod is the 14th-most disconnected out of the 108 cities in Gujarat. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Gujarat, the street network in Jahlod has become more connected. Jahlod ranked 10th in 1975, 22nd in 1976-1990, 19th in 1991-2000 and 14th in 2001-2014.

Jahlod and India do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi in Jahlod was at its lowest in 1976-1990, while the SNDi of street constructions in India rose steadily.

To date, Jahlod is the 284th-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 Jahlod has become more connected. Jahlod ranked 143rd in 1975, 504th in 1976-1990, 401st in 1991-2000 and 284th in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Jahlod had a built-up area of 0.9 square kilometers, and a population of 220332 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: