Street-network Sprawl in Tirthahalli, 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.

Tirthahalli: 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 Tirthahalli, India on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Tirthahalli as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 3.76, which is highly disconnected.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are 5.35, 4.81, 2.63 and 3.3. The disconnectivity of new streets constructed in Tirthahalli fell, then rose. In 1991-2000, new street layouts were the most connected.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Tirthahalli spans a total of 63 kilometers. The period with the greatest volume of street construction was 2001-2014. These roads have an SNDi of 3.3, 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 5.35, 5.27, 4.24 and 3.76. Overall, the SNDi of the aggregate street network has fallen: the street network in Tirthahalli has become more connected. This decrease has quickened: between 1975 and 1976-1990, SNDi fell by 0.08 points, but between 1991-2000 and 2001-2014, it fell by just 0.48.

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

How do development practices in Tirthahalli fare in comparison to others in Karnataka? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Tirthahalli was the 45th-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 Tirthahalli has become more connected. Tirthahalli ranked 4th in 1975, 11th in 1976-1990, 54th in 1991-2000 and 45th in 2001-2014.

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

How do development practices in Tirthahalli fare in comparison to others in India? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Tirthahalli was the 611th-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 Tirthahalli has become more connected. Tirthahalli ranked 66th in 1975, 122nd in 1976-1990, 622nd in 1991-2000 and 611th in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Tirthahalli is the 19th-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 Tirthahalli has become more connected. Tirthahalli ranked 4th in 1975, 5th in 1976-1990, 9th in 1991-2000 and 19th in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Tirthahalli is the 375th-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 Tirthahalli has become more connected. Tirthahalli ranked 66th in 1975, 66th in 1976-1990, 207th in 1991-2000 and 375th in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Tirthahalli had a built-up area of 0.7 square kilometers, and a population of 75225 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: