Street-network Sprawl in Ujjain, 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.

Ujjain: 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 Ujjain, India on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Ujjain as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 2.14, which is relatively well-connected.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are 0.57, 1.82, 1.39 and 4.14. Disconnectivity in street construction in Ujjain follows a zig-zag trend. In 1975, street construction was most disconnected, while construction was most connected in 2001-2014.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Ujjain spans a total of 231 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed in 1976-1990. These roads have an SNDi of 1.82, 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 0.57, 1.65, 1.66 and 2.14. Overall, the SNDi of the aggregate street network has risen: the street network in Ujjain has become more disconnected. This increase has slowed: between 1975 and 1976-1990, SNDi rose by 1.08 points, but between 1991-2000 and 2001-2014, it rose by just 0.48.

Ujjain and Madhya Pradesh do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi in Ujjain followed a zig-zag trend with an overall increase, while the SNDi of street constructions in Madhya Pradesh was at its lowest in 1976-1990.

How do development practices in Ujjain fare in comparison to others in Madhya Pradesh? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Ujjain was the 32nd-most disconnected out of the 97 cities in Madhya Pradesh. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has risen; relative to other cities in Madhya Pradesh, street construction in Ujjain has become more disconnected. Ujjain ranked 34th in 1975, 33rd in 1976-1990, 36th in 1991-2000 and 32nd in 2001-2014.

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

How do development practices in Ujjain fare in comparison to others in India? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Ujjain was the 417th-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 Ujjain has become more disconnected. Ujjain ranked 715th in 1975, 770th in 1976-1990, 809th in 1991-2000 and 417th in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Ujjain is the 60th-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 Ujjain has become more connected. Ujjain ranked 34th in 1975, 36th in 1976-1990, 44th in 1991-2000 and 60th in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Ujjain is the 971st-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 Ujjain has become more connected. Ujjain ranked 715th in 1975, 878th in 1976-1990, 997th in 1991-2000 and 971st in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Ujjain had a built-up area of 21.13 square kilometers, and a population of 528214 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: