Street-network Sprawl in Rajpipla, 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.

Rajpipla: 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 Rajpipla, India on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Rajpipla as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 0.78, which is relatively well-connected.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are 0.26, 4.36, 0.52 and -0.05. Street construction in Rajpipla increased in disconnectivity initially but has since improved. The streets constructed in 1976-1990 were the most disconnected.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Rajpipla spans a total of 42 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed in 2001-2014. These roads have an SNDi of -0.05, which is very 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 0.26, 1.66, 1.4 and 0.78. The aggregate street network in Rajpipla increased in disconnectivity initially,but the trend has turned around after 1990.

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

How do development practices in Rajpipla fare in comparison to others in Gujarat? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Rajpipla was the 73rd-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 Rajpipla has become more connected. Rajpipla ranked 44th in 1975, 7th in 1976-1990, 55th in 1991-2000 and 73rd in 2001-2014.

Rajpipla and India do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi in Rajpipla peaked in 1976-1990, while the SNDi of street constructions in India rose steadily.

How do development practices in Rajpipla fare in comparison to others in India? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Rajpipla was the 1153rd-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 Rajpipla has become more connected. Rajpipla ranked 753rd in 1975, 168th in 1976-1990, 913th in 1991-2000 and 1153rd in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Rajpipla is the 75th-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 Rajpipla has become more connected. Rajpipla ranked 44th in 1975, 42nd in 1976-1990, 57th in 1991-2000 and 75th in 2001-2014.

Rajpipla and India do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi in Rajpipla peaked in 1976-1990, while the SNDi of street constructions in India rose steadily.

To date, Rajpipla is the 1363rd-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 Rajpipla has become more connected. Rajpipla ranked 753rd in 1975, 872nd in 1976-1990, 1078th in 1991-2000 and 1363rd in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Rajpipla had a built-up area of 0.92 square kilometers, and a population of 123151 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: