Street-network Sprawl in Ratlam, 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.

Ratlam: 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 Ratlam, India on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Ratlam as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 1.69, which is relatively well-connected.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are 0.82, 1.71, 2.11 and 1.96. Street construction in Ratlam 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 Ratlam spans a total of 132 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed in 2001-2014. These roads have an SNDi of 1.96, which is relatively well-connected.

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 0.82, 1.28, 1.47 and 1.69. Overall, the SNDi of the aggregate street network has risen: the street network in Ratlam has become more disconnected. This increase has slowed: between 1975 and 1976-1990, SNDi rose by 0.46 points, but between 1991-2000 and 2001-2014, it rose by just 0.22.

Ratlam and Madhya Pradesh do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi in Ratlam peaked in 1991-2000, while the SNDi of street constructions in Madhya Pradesh was at its lowest in 1976-1990.

How do development practices in Ratlam fare in comparison to others in Madhya Pradesh? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Ratlam was the 62nd-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 Ratlam has become more connected. Ratlam ranked 30th in 1975, 34th in 1976-1990, 33rd in 1991-2000 and 62nd in 2001-2014.

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

How do development practices in Ratlam fare in comparison to others in India? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Ratlam was the 893rd-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 Ratlam has become more connected. Ratlam ranked 677th in 1975, 793rd in 1976-1990, 703rd in 1991-2000 and 893rd in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Ratlam is the 69th-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 Ratlam has become more connected. Ratlam ranked 30th in 1975, 40th in 1976-1990, 46th in 1991-2000 and 69th in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Ratlam is the 1108th-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 Ratlam has become more connected. Ratlam ranked 677th in 1975, 995th in 1976-1990, 1056th in 1991-2000 and 1108th in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Ratlam had a built-up area of 9.62 square kilometers, and a population of 350065 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: