Street-network Sprawl in Varkala, 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.

Varkala: 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 Varkala, India on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Varkala as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 2.98, 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 5.06, 2.71, 5.58 and 2.27. Disconnectivity in street construction in Varkala follows a zig-zag trend. In 2001-2014, street construction was most disconnected, while construction was most connected in 1991-2000.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Varkala spans a total of 233 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed in 1976-1990. These roads have an SNDi of 2.71, which is in the 40th to 60th percentile of disconnectedness.

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 5.06, 2.94, 2.99 and 2.98. Disconnectivity in Varkala's street network follows a zig-zag trend. In 1976-1990, the city was most disconnected; while it was most connected in 1975.

Varkala 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 Varkala fare in comparison to others in Kerala? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Varkala was the 52nd-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 Varkala has become more connected. Varkala ranked 8th in 1975, 36th in 1976-1990, 10th in 1991-2000 and 52nd in 2001-2014.

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

How do development practices in Varkala fare in comparison to others in India? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Varkala was the 825th-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 Varkala has become more connected. Varkala ranked 79th in 1975, 529th in 1976-1990, 114th in 1991-2000 and 825th in 2001-2014.

Varkala and Kerala do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi in Varkala 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, Varkala is the 45th-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 Varkala has become more connected. Varkala ranked 8th in 1975, 34th in 1976-1990, 40th in 1991-2000 and 45th in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Varkala is the 640th-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 Varkala has become more connected. Varkala ranked 79th in 1975, 464th in 1976-1990, 533rd in 1991-2000 and 640th in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Varkala had a built-up area of 5.53 square kilometers, and a population of 173475 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: