Street-network Sprawl in Gandarbal, 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.

Gandarbal: city in Jammu and Kashmir, 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 Gandarbal, India on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Gandarbal as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 4.87, which is highly disconnected.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are 4.75, 4.93, nan and nan. Data was not available in 1991-2000 and 2001-2014.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Gandarbal spans a total of 80 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed prior to 1975. These roads have an SNDi of 4.75, 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 4.75, 4.89, 4.87 and 4.87. Disconnectivity in Gandarbal's street network follows a zig-zag trend. In 1975, the city was most disconnected; while it was most connected in 1976-1990.

Gandarbal and Jammu and Kashmir do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. There was not enough data from the city, while the SNDi of street constructions in Jammu and Kashmir followed a zig-zag trend with an overall increase.

How do development practices in Gandarbal fare in comparison to others in Jammu and Kashmir? out of the 22 cities in Jammu and Kashmir. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has risen; relative to other cities in Jammu and Kashmir, street construction in Gandarbal has become more disconnected. Gandarbal ranked 4th in 1975 and 2nd in 1976-1990. There was no ranking in 1991-2000 and 2001-2014 due to unavailable data.

Gandarbal and India do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. There was not enough data from the city, while the SNDi of street constructions in India rose steadily.

How do development practices in Gandarbal fare in comparison to others in India? 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 Gandarbal has become more connected. Gandarbal ranked 102nd in 1975 and 107th in 1976-1990. There was no ranking in 1991-2000 and 2001-2014 due to unavailable data.

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

To date, Gandarbal is the 6th-most disconnected out of the 22 cities in Jammu and Kashmir. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Jammu and Kashmir, the street network in Gandarbal has become more connected. Gandarbal ranked 4th in 1975, 4th in 1976-1990, 4th in 1991-2000 and 6th in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Gandarbal is the 137th-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 Gandarbal has become more connected. Gandarbal ranked 102nd in 1975, 86th in 1976-1990, 119th in 1991-2000 and 137th in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Gandarbal had a built-up area of 4.04 square kilometers, and a population of 79159 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: