Street-network Sprawl in Payyanur, 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.

Payyanur: 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 Payyanur, India on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Payyanur as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 5.79, which is highly disconnected.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are 4.13, 5.3, 5.56 and 8.58. In each period, new street development in Payyanur steadily grows more disconnected than in the last.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Payyanur spans a total of 473 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed prior to 1975. These roads have an SNDi of 4.13, 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 4.13, 4.33, 4.37 and 5.79. Overall, the SNDi of the aggregate street network has risen: the street network in Payyanur has become more disconnected.

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

How do development practices in Payyanur fare in comparison to others in Kerala? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Payyanur was the 2nd-most disconnected out of the 59 cities in Kerala. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has risen; relative to other cities in Kerala, street construction in Payyanur has become more disconnected. Payyanur ranked 15th in 1975, 3rd in 1976-1990, 11th in 1991-2000 and 2nd in 2001-2014.

Payyanur and India follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi for both of these rose steadily.

How do development practices in Payyanur fare in comparison to others in India? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Payyanur was the 16th-most disconnected out of the 1716 cities in India. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has risen; relative to other cities in India, street construction in Payyanur has become more disconnected. Payyanur ranked 152nd in 1975, 71st in 1976-1990, 119th in 1991-2000 and 16th in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Payyanur is the 2nd-most disconnected out of the 59 cities in Kerala. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has risen; relative to other cities in Kerala, the street network in Payyanur has become more disconnected. Payyanur ranked 15th in 1975, 8th in 1976-1990, 9th in 1991-2000 and 2nd in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Payyanur is the 60th-most disconnected out of the 1716 cities in India. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has risen; relative to other cities in India, the street network in Payyanur has become more disconnected. Payyanur ranked 152nd in 1975, 161st in 1976-1990, 184th in 1991-2000 and 60th in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Payyanur had a built-up area of 26.63 square kilometers, and a population of 491750 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: