Street-network Sprawl in Sindhanur, 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.

Sindhanur: 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 Sindhanur, India on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Sindhanur as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 4.22, which is highly disconnected.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are 4.82, 4.28, 4.55 and 4.17. Disconnectivity in street construction in Sindhanur follows a zig-zag trend. In 2001-2014, street construction was most disconnected, while construction was most connected in 1975.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Sindhanur spans a total of 63 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed in 2001-2014. These roads have an SNDi of 4.17, 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 4.82, 4.49, 4.44 and 4.22. Overall, the SNDi of the aggregate street network has fallen: the street network in Sindhanur has become more connected.

Sindhanur and Karnataka do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi in Sindhanur followed a zig-zag trend with an overall decrease, while the SNDi of street constructions in Karnataka rose steadily.

How do development practices in Sindhanur fare in comparison to others in Karnataka? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Sindhanur was the 28th-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 Sindhanur has become more connected. Sindhanur ranked 7th in 1975, 13th in 1976-1990, 12th in 1991-2000 and 28th in 2001-2014.

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

How do development practices in Sindhanur fare in comparison to others in India? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Sindhanur was the 410th-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 Sindhanur has become more connected. Sindhanur ranked 94th in 1975, 178th in 1976-1990, 249th in 1991-2000 and 410th in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Sindhanur is the 12th-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 Sindhanur has become more connected. Sindhanur ranked 7th in 1975, 9th in 1976-1990, 7th in 1991-2000 and 12th in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Sindhanur is the 260th-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 Sindhanur has become more connected. Sindhanur ranked 94th in 1975, 145th in 1976-1990, 173rd in 1991-2000 and 260th in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Sindhanur had a built-up area of 3.3 square kilometers, and a population of 114874 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: