Street-network Sprawl in Mahesana, 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.

Mahesana: 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 Mahesana, India on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Mahesana as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 5.76, which is highly disconnected.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are 5.27, 3.24, 6.78 and 6.41. Disconnectivity in street construction in Mahesana follows a zig-zag trend. In 1976-1990, street construction was most disconnected, while construction was most connected in 1991-2000.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Mahesana spans a total of 275 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed in 2001-2014. These roads have an SNDi of 6.41, 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 5.27, 4.77, 5.14 and 5.76. The SNDi of the aggregate street network in fell at first, but Mahesana has worsened in disconnectivity since 1990.

Mahesana and Gujarat do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi in Mahesana followed a zig-zag trend with an overall increase, while the SNDi of street constructions in Gujarat was at its lowest in 1976-1990.

How do development practices in Mahesana fare in comparison to others in Gujarat? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Mahesana was the 5th-most disconnected out of the 108 cities in Gujarat. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has risen; relative to other cities in Gujarat, street construction in Mahesana has become more disconnected. Mahesana ranked 6th in 1975, 18th in 1976-1990, 3rd in 1991-2000 and 5th in 2001-2014.

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

How do development practices in Mahesana fare in comparison to others in India? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Mahesana was the 79th-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 Mahesana has become more connected. Mahesana ranked 70th in 1975, 383rd in 1976-1990, 54th in 1991-2000 and 79th in 2001-2014.

Mahesana 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, Mahesana is the 1st-most disconnected out of the 108 cities in Gujarat. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has risen; relative to other cities in Gujarat, the street network in Mahesana has become more disconnected. Mahesana ranked 6th in 1975, 3rd in 1976-1990, 2nd in 1991-2000 and 1st in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Mahesana is the 62nd-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 Mahesana has become more disconnected. Mahesana ranked 70th in 1975, 103rd in 1976-1990, 89th in 1991-2000 and 62nd in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Mahesana had a built-up area of 8.45 square kilometers, and a population of 449797 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: