Street-network Sprawl in Veraval, 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.

Veraval: 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 Veraval, India on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Veraval as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 2.92, which is in the 40th to 60th percentile of disconnectedness.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are 2.92, 3.24, 0.22 and 3.06. Disconnectivity in street construction in Veraval follows a zig-zag trend. In 1991-2000, street construction was most disconnected, while construction was most connected in 1976-1990.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Veraval spans a total of 96 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed prior to 1975. These roads have an SNDi of 2.92, which is in the 40th to 60th percentile of disconnectedness.

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 2.92, 2.99, 2.95 and 2.92. The aggregate street network in Veraval increased in disconnectivity initially,but the trend has turned around after 1990.

Veraval and Gujarat do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi in Veraval 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 Veraval fare in comparison to others in Gujarat? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Veraval was the 35th-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 Veraval has become more connected. Veraval ranked 18th in 1975, 17th in 1976-1990, 56th in 1991-2000 and 35th in 2001-2014.

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

How do development practices in Veraval fare in comparison to others in India? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Veraval was the 661st-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 Veraval has become more connected. Veraval ranked 315th in 1975, 382nd in 1976-1990, 941st in 1991-2000 and 661st in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Veraval is the 29th-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 Veraval has become more connected. Veraval ranked 18th in 1975, 18th in 1976-1990, 22nd in 1991-2000 and 29th in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Veraval is the 666th-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 Veraval has become more connected. Veraval ranked 315th in 1975, 447th in 1976-1990, 554th in 1991-2000 and 666th in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Veraval had a built-up area of 6.68 square kilometers, and a population of 273860 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: