Street-network Sprawl in Kochi, 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.

Kochi: city in Kerala, 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 Kochi, India on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Kochi as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 3.93, which is highly disconnected.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are 3.83, 4.15, 5.23 and 4.75. Street construction in Kochi increased in disconnectivity initially but has since improved. The streets constructed in 1991-2000 were the most disconnected.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Kochi spans a total of 2775 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed prior to 1975. These roads have an SNDi of 3.83, 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 3.83, 3.88, 3.89 and 3.93. Overall, the SNDi of the aggregate street network has risen: the street network in Kochi has become more disconnected. This increase has slowed: between 1975 and 1976-1990, SNDi rose by 0.06 points, but between 1991-2000 and 2001-2014, it rose by just 0.04.

Kochi and Kerala do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi in Kochi peaked in 1991-2000, while the SNDi of street constructions in Kerala followed a zig-zag trend with an overall increase.

How do development practices in Kochi fare in comparison to others in Kerala? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Kochi was the 24th-most disconnected out of the 59 cities in Kerala. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Kerala, street construction in Kochi has become more connected. Kochi ranked 21st in 1975, 9th in 1976-1990, 16th in 1991-2000 and 24th in 2001-2014.

Kochi and India do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi in Kochi peaked in 1991-2000, while the SNDi of street constructions in India rose steadily.

How do development practices in Kochi fare in comparison to others in India? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Kochi was the 292nd-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 Kochi has become more connected. Kochi ranked 186th in 1975, 202nd in 1976-1990, 161st in 1991-2000 and 292nd in 2001-2014.

Kochi and Kerala do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi in Kochi rose steadily, while the SNDi of street constructions in Kerala was at its lowest in 1976-1990.

To date, Kochi is the 25th-most disconnected out of the 59 cities in Kerala. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Kerala, the street network in Kochi has become more connected. Kochi ranked 21st in 1975, 16th in 1976-1990, 20th in 1991-2000 and 25th in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Kochi is the 326th-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 Kochi has become more connected. Kochi ranked 186th in 1975, 229th in 1976-1990, 280th in 1991-2000 and 326th in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Kochi had a built-up area of 202.23 square kilometers, and a population of 2546842 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: