Street-network Sprawl in Kaithal, 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.

Kaithal: 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 Kaithal, India on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Kaithal as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 2.2, which is relatively well-connected.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are 2.1, 2.15, 2.57 and 2.96. In each period, new street development in Kaithal steadily grows more disconnected than in the last.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Kaithal spans a total of 238 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed prior to 1975. These roads have an SNDi of 2.1, 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 2.1, 2.11, 2.14 and 2.2. Overall, the SNDi of the aggregate street network has risen: the street network in Kaithal has become more disconnected.

Kaithal and Haryana follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi for both of these rose steadily.

How do development practices in Kaithal fare in comparison to others in Haryana? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Kaithal was the 19th-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 Kaithal has become more connected. Kaithal ranked 15th in 1975, 21st in 1976-1990, 23rd in 1991-2000 and 19th in 2001-2014.

Kaithal and India follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi for both of these rose steadily.

How do development practices in Kaithal fare in comparison to others in India? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Kaithal was the 685th-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 Kaithal has become more connected. Kaithal ranked 464th in 1975, 681st in 1976-1990, 631st in 1991-2000 and 685th in 2001-2014.

Kaithal and Haryana follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi for both of these rose steadily.

To date, Kaithal is the 24th-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 Kaithal has become more connected. Kaithal ranked 15th in 1975, 18th in 1976-1990, 23rd in 1991-2000 and 24th in 2001-2014.

Kaithal and India follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi for both of these rose steadily.

To date, Kaithal is the 949th-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 Kaithal has become more connected. Kaithal ranked 464th in 1975, 730th in 1976-1990, 833rd in 1991-2000 and 949th in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Kaithal had a built-up area of 12.02 square kilometers, and a population of 175799 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: