Street-network Sprawl in Gokak, 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.

Gokak: 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 Gokak, India on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Gokak as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 1.74, which is relatively well-connected.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are 1.92, nan, nan and nan. Data was not available in 1976-1990, 1991-2000 and 2001-2014.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Gokak spans a total of 49 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed prior to 1975. These roads have an SNDi of 1.92, 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 1.92, 1.99, 1.92 and 1.74. The aggregate street network in Gokak increased in disconnectivity initially,but the trend has turned around after 1990.

Gokak and Karnataka 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 Karnataka rose steadily.

How do development practices in Gokak fare in comparison to others in Karnataka? out of the 147 cities in Karnataka. Gokak ranked 47th in 1975. There was no ranking in 1976-1990, 1991-2000, and 2001-2014 due to unavailable data.

Gokak 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 Gokak fare in comparison to others in India? out of the 1716 cities in India. Gokak ranked 501st in 1975. There was no ranking in 1976-1990, 1991-2000, and 2001-2014 due to unavailable data.

Gokak and Karnataka do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi in Gokak peaked in 1976-1990, while the SNDi of street constructions in Karnataka rose steadily.

To date, Gokak is the 88th-most disconnected out of the 147 cities in Karnataka. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Karnataka, the street network in Gokak has become more connected. Gokak ranked 47th in 1975, 59th in 1976-1990, 70th in 1991-2000 and 88th in 2001-2014.

Gokak and India do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi in Gokak peaked in 1976-1990, while the SNDi of street constructions in India rose steadily.

To date, Gokak is the 1091st-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 Gokak has become more connected. Gokak ranked 501st in 1975, 772nd in 1976-1990, 913th in 1991-2000 and 1091st in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Gokak had a built-up area of 2.97 square kilometers, and a population of 223887 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: