Street-network Sprawl in Vansada, 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.

Vansada: 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 Vansada, India on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Vansada as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 1.28, which is relatively well-connected.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are 1.44, 0.04, 2.68 and 0.51. Disconnectivity in street construction in Vansada 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 Vansada spans a total of 33 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed in 2001-2014. These roads have an SNDi of 0.51, 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 1.44, 0.99, 1.52 and 1.28. Disconnectivity in Vansada's street network follows a zig-zag trend. In 1976-1990, the city was most disconnected; while it was most connected in 1991-2000.

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

How do development practices in Vansada fare in comparison to others in Gujarat? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Vansada was the 63rd-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 Vansada has become more connected. Vansada ranked 35th in 1975, 68th in 1976-1990, 30th in 1991-2000 and 63rd in 2001-2014.

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

How do development practices in Vansada fare in comparison to others in India? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Vansada was the 1090th-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 Vansada has become more connected. Vansada ranked 582nd in 1975, 1124th in 1976-1990, 610th in 1991-2000 and 1090th in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Vansada is the 62nd-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 Vansada has become more connected. Vansada ranked 35th in 1975, 60th in 1976-1990, 51st in 1991-2000 and 62nd in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Vansada is the 1234th-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 Vansada has become more connected. Vansada ranked 582nd in 1975, 1066th in 1976-1990, 1031st in 1991-2000 and 1234th in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Vansada had a built-up area of 0.39 square kilometers, and a population of 106328 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: