Street-network Sprawl in Kumta, 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.

Kumta: 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 Kumta, India on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Kumta as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 1.79, which is relatively well-connected.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are 5.22, 0.2, -0.75 and 1.14. The disconnectivity of new streets constructed in Kumta fell, then rose. In 1991-2000, new street layouts were the most connected.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Kumta spans a total of 68 kilometers. The period with the greatest volume of street construction was 1975. These roads have an SNDi of 5.22, 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 5.22, 2.83, 2.01 and 1.79. Overall, the SNDi of the aggregate street network has fallen: the street network in Kumta has become more connected.

Kumta and Karnataka do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi in Kumta was at its lowest in 1991-2000, while the SNDi of street constructions in Karnataka rose steadily.

How do development practices in Kumta fare in comparison to others in Karnataka? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Kumta was the 90th-most disconnected out of the 147 cities in Karnataka. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Karnataka, street construction in Kumta has become more connected. Kumta ranked 5th in 1975, 110th in 1976-1990, 105th in 1991-2000 and 90th in 2001-2014.

Kumta and India do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi in Kumta was at its lowest in 1991-2000, while the SNDi of street constructions in India rose steadily.

How do development practices in Kumta fare in comparison to others in India? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Kumta was the 1007th-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 Kumta has become more connected. Kumta ranked 72nd in 1975, 1093rd in 1976-1990, 1019th in 1991-2000 and 1007th in 2001-2014.

Kumta and Karnataka do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi in Kumta fell steadily, while the SNDi of street constructions in Karnataka rose steadily.

To date, Kumta is the 86th-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 Kumta has become more connected. Kumta ranked 5th in 1975, 28th in 1976-1990, 63rd in 1991-2000 and 86th in 2001-2014.

Kumta and India do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi in Kumta fell steadily, while the SNDi of street constructions in India rose steadily.

To date, Kumta is the 1076th-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 Kumta has become more connected. Kumta ranked 72nd in 1975, 500th in 1976-1990, 879th in 1991-2000 and 1076th in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Kumta had a built-up area of 2.39 square kilometers, and a population of 80560 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: