Street-network Sprawl in Taliparamba, 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.

Taliparamba: 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 Taliparamba, India on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Taliparamba as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 3.15, which is in the 40th to 60th percentile of disconnectedness.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are 5.27, 2.68, 3.45 and 2.38. Disconnectivity in street construction in Taliparamba 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 Taliparamba spans a total of 97 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed in 1991-2000. These roads have an SNDi of 3.45, 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 5.27, 2.98, 3.16 and 3.15. Disconnectivity in Taliparamba's street network follows a zig-zag trend. In 1976-1990, the city was most disconnected; while it was most connected in 1975.

Taliparamba and Kerala follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi for both of these followed a zig-zag trend with an overall decrease.

How do development practices in Taliparamba fare in comparison to others in Kerala? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Taliparamba was the 51st-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 Taliparamba has become more connected. Taliparamba ranked 6th in 1975, 37th in 1976-1990, 35th in 1991-2000 and 51st in 2001-2014.

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

How do development practices in Taliparamba fare in comparison to others in India? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Taliparamba was the 809th-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 Taliparamba has become more connected. Taliparamba ranked 68th in 1975, 542nd in 1976-1990, 449th in 1991-2000 and 809th in 2001-2014.

Taliparamba and Kerala do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi in Taliparamba followed a zig-zag trend with an overall decrease, while the SNDi of street constructions in Kerala was at its lowest in 1976-1990.

To date, Taliparamba is the 39th-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 Taliparamba has become more connected. Taliparamba ranked 6th in 1975, 32nd in 1976-1990, 36th in 1991-2000 and 39th in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Taliparamba is the 590th-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 Taliparamba has become more connected. Taliparamba ranked 68th in 1975, 449th in 1976-1990, 483rd in 1991-2000 and 590th in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Taliparamba had a built-up area of 6.2 square kilometers, and a population of 150799 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: