Street-network Sprawl in Dharamshala, 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.

Dharamshala: city in Himachal Pradesh, 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 Dharamshala, India on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Dharamshala as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 5.6, which is highly disconnected.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are 3.8, 5.29, 5.8 and 5.77. Street construction in Dharamshala increased in disconnectivity initially but has since improved. The streets constructed in 1991-2000 were the most disconnected.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Dharamshala spans a total of 107 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed in 1991-2000. These roads have an SNDi of 5.8, which is highly disconnected.

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 3.8, 4.79, 5.58 and 5.6. Overall, the SNDi of the aggregate street network has risen: the street network in Dharamshala has become more disconnected. This increase has slowed: between 1975 and 1976-1990, SNDi rose by 0.99 points, but between 1991-2000 and 2001-2014, it rose by just 0.02.

Dharamshala and Himachal Pradesh do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi in Dharamshala peaked in 1991-2000, while the SNDi of street constructions in Himachal Pradesh was at its lowest in 1976-1990.

How do development practices in Dharamshala fare in comparison to others in Himachal Pradesh? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Dharamshala was the 2nd-most disconnected out of the 10 cities in Himachal Pradesh. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has risen; relative to other cities in Himachal Pradesh, street construction in Dharamshala has become more disconnected. Dharamshala ranked 3rd in 1975, 2nd in 1976-1990, 3rd in 1991-2000 and 2nd in 2001-2014.

Dharamshala and India do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi in Dharamshala peaked in 1991-2000, while the SNDi of street constructions in India rose steadily.

How do development practices in Dharamshala fare in comparison to others in India? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Dharamshala was the 138th-most disconnected out of the 1716 cities in India. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has risen; relative to other cities in India, street construction in Dharamshala has become more disconnected. Dharamshala ranked 190th in 1975, 74th in 1976-1990, 99th in 1991-2000 and 138th in 2001-2014.

Dharamshala and Himachal Pradesh do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi in Dharamshala rose steadily, while the SNDi of street constructions in Himachal Pradesh was at its lowest in 1991-2000.

To date, Dharamshala is the 1st-most disconnected out of the 10 cities in Himachal Pradesh. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has risen; relative to other cities in Himachal Pradesh, the street network in Dharamshala has become more disconnected. Dharamshala ranked 3rd in 1975, 1st in 1976-1990, 2nd in 1991-2000 and 1st in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Dharamshala is the 71st-most disconnected out of the 1716 cities in India. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has risen; relative to other cities in India, the street network in Dharamshala has become more disconnected. Dharamshala ranked 190th in 1975, 101st in 1976-1990, 59th in 1991-2000 and 71st in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Dharamshala had a built-up area of 1.18 square kilometers, and a population of 74853 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: