Street-network Sprawl in Bengaluru, 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.

Bengaluru: city in Karnataka, 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 Bengaluru, India on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Bengaluru as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 3.17, 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 1.98, 2.72, 3.88 and 4.91. In each period, new street development in Bengaluru steadily grows more disconnected than in the last.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Bengaluru spans a total of 8965 kilometers. The period with the greatest volume of street construction was 1975. These roads have an SNDi of 1.98, 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 1.98, 2.26, 2.45 and 3.17. Overall, the SNDi of the aggregate street network has risen: the street network in Bengaluru has become more disconnected.

Bengaluru and Karnataka 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 Bengaluru fare in comparison to others in Karnataka? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Bengaluru was the 19th-most disconnected out of the 147 cities in Karnataka. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has risen; relative to other cities in Karnataka, street construction in Bengaluru has become more disconnected. Bengaluru ranked 45th in 1975, 36th in 1976-1990, 27th in 1991-2000 and 19th in 2001-2014.

Bengaluru 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 Bengaluru fare in comparison to others in India? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Bengaluru was the 256th-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 Bengaluru has become more disconnected. Bengaluru ranked 488th in 1975, 526th in 1976-1990, 358th in 1991-2000 and 256th in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Bengaluru is the 30th-most disconnected out of the 147 cities in Karnataka. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has risen; relative to other cities in Karnataka, the street network in Bengaluru has become more disconnected. Bengaluru ranked 45th in 1975, 48th in 1976-1990, 49th in 1991-2000 and 30th in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Bengaluru is the 578th-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 Bengaluru has become more connected. Bengaluru ranked 488th in 1975, 688th in 1976-1990, 738th in 1991-2000 and 578th in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Bengaluru had a built-up area of 275.84 square kilometers, and a population of 10631615 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: