Street-network Sprawl in Palanpur, 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.

Palanpur: 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 Palanpur, India on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Palanpur as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 0.58, which is relatively well-connected.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are -0.01, 0.79, 2.31 and 0.49. Street construction in Palanpur increased in disconnectivity initially but has since improved. The streets constructed in 1991-2000 were the most disconnected.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Palanpur spans a total of 133 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed in 2001-2014. These roads have an SNDi of 0.49, 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 -0.01, 0.48, 0.67 and 0.58. The aggregate street network in Palanpur increased in disconnectivity initially,but the trend has turned around after 2000.

Palanpur and Gujarat do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi in Palanpur peaked in 1991-2000, while the SNDi of street constructions in Gujarat was at its lowest in 1976-1990.

How do development practices in Palanpur fare in comparison to others in Gujarat? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Palanpur was the 64th-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 Palanpur has become more connected. Palanpur ranked 48th in 1975, 59th in 1976-1990, 37th in 1991-2000 and 64th in 2001-2014.

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

How do development practices in Palanpur fare in comparison to others in India? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Palanpur was the 1094th-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 Palanpur has become more connected. Palanpur ranked 784th in 1975, 1001st in 1976-1990, 675th in 1991-2000 and 1094th in 2001-2014.

Palanpur and Gujarat do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi in Palanpur peaked in 1991-2000, while the SNDi of street constructions in Gujarat was at its lowest in 1976-1990.

To date, Palanpur is the 80th-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 Palanpur has become more connected. Palanpur ranked 48th in 1975, 71st in 1976-1990, 73rd in 1991-2000 and 80th in 2001-2014.

Palanpur and India do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi in Palanpur peaked in 1991-2000, while the SNDi of street constructions in India rose steadily.

To date, Palanpur is the 1407th-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 Palanpur has become more connected. Palanpur ranked 784th in 1975, 1193rd in 1976-1990, 1267th in 1991-2000 and 1407th in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Palanpur had a built-up area of 4.47 square kilometers, and a population of 362423 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: