Street-network Sprawl in Hisar, 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.

Hisar: city in Haryana, 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 Hisar, India on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Hisar as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 3.11, 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 3.24, 2.78, 3.14 and 2.83. Disconnectivity in street construction in Hisar follows a zig-zag trend. In 1976-1990, street construction was most disconnected, while construction was most connected in 1975.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Hisar spans a total of 716 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed prior to 1975. These roads have an SNDi of 3.24, 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 3.24, 3.12, 3.12 and 3.11. Disconnectivity in Hisar's street network follows a zig-zag trend. In 2001-2014, the city was most disconnected; while it was most connected in 1975.

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

How do development practices in Hisar fare in comparison to others in Haryana? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Hisar was the 21st-most disconnected out of the 36 cities in Haryana. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Haryana, street construction in Hisar has become more connected. Hisar ranked 7th in 1975, 11th in 1976-1990, 14th in 1991-2000 and 21st in 2001-2014.

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

How do development practices in Hisar fare in comparison to others in India? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Hisar was the 717th-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 Hisar has become more connected. Hisar ranked 267th in 1975, 503rd in 1976-1990, 510th in 1991-2000 and 717th in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Hisar is the 10th-most disconnected out of the 36 cities in Haryana. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Haryana, the street network in Hisar has become more connected. Hisar ranked 7th in 1975, 7th in 1976-1990, 9th in 1991-2000 and 10th in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Hisar is the 606th-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 Hisar has become more connected. Hisar ranked 267th in 1975, 409th in 1976-1990, 497th in 1991-2000 and 606th in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Hisar had a built-up area of 21.79 square kilometers, and a population of 484415 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: