Street-network Sprawl in Jabalpur, 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.

Jabalpur: city in Madhya Pradesh, 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 Jabalpur, India on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Jabalpur as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 3.19, 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 2.41, 3.15, 4.44 and 4.68. In each period, new street development in Jabalpur steadily grows more disconnected than in the last. This increase has slowed: between 1975 and 1976-1990, SNDi rose by 0.74 points, but between 1991-2000 and 2001-2014, it rose by just 0.24.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Jabalpur spans a total of 490 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed in 1976-1990. These roads have an SNDi of 3.15, 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 2.41, 2.9, 2.98 and 3.19. Overall, the SNDi of the aggregate street network has risen: the street network in Jabalpur has become more disconnected. This increase has slowed: between 1975 and 1976-1990, SNDi rose by 0.49 points, but between 1991-2000 and 2001-2014, it rose by just 0.21.

Jabalpur and Madhya Pradesh do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi in Jabalpur rose steadily, while the SNDi of street constructions in Madhya Pradesh was at its lowest in 1976-1990.

How do development practices in Jabalpur fare in comparison to others in Madhya Pradesh? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Jabalpur was the 22nd-most disconnected out of the 97 cities in Madhya Pradesh. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Madhya Pradesh, street construction in Jabalpur has become more connected. Jabalpur ranked 18th in 1975, 24th in 1976-1990, 12th in 1991-2000 and 22nd in 2001-2014.

Jabalpur 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 Jabalpur fare in comparison to others in India? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Jabalpur was the 303rd-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 Jabalpur has become more disconnected. Jabalpur ranked 408th in 1975, 413th in 1976-1990, 262nd in 1991-2000 and 303rd in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Jabalpur is the 40th-most disconnected out of the 97 cities in Madhya Pradesh. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Madhya Pradesh, the street network in Jabalpur has become more connected. Jabalpur ranked 18th in 1975, 23rd in 1976-1990, 27th in 1991-2000 and 40th in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Jabalpur is the 562nd-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 Jabalpur has become more connected. Jabalpur ranked 408th in 1975, 479th in 1976-1990, 535th in 1991-2000 and 562nd in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Jabalpur had a built-up area of 29.64 square kilometers, and a population of 1609651 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: