Street-network Sprawl in Bhor, 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.

Bhor: city in Maharashtra, 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 Bhor, India on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Bhor as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 1.23, which is relatively well-connected.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are -0.43, 0.2, 4.23 and 0.88. Street construction in Bhor 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 Bhor spans a total of 44 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed in 2001-2014. These roads have an SNDi of 0.88, 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 -0.43, 0.09, 1.49 and 1.23. The aggregate street network in Bhor increased in disconnectivity initially,but the trend has turned around after 2000.

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

How do development practices in Bhor fare in comparison to others in Maharashtra? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Bhor was the 115th-most disconnected out of the 186 cities in Maharashtra. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Maharashtra, street construction in Bhor has become more connected. Bhor ranked 91st in 1975, 105th in 1976-1990, 26th in 1991-2000 and 115th in 2001-2014.

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

How do development practices in Bhor fare in comparison to others in India? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Bhor was the 1038th-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 Bhor has become more connected. Bhor ranked 822nd in 1975, 1094th in 1976-1990, 293rd in 1991-2000 and 1038th in 2001-2014.

Bhor and Maharashtra do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi in Bhor peaked in 1991-2000, while the SNDi of street constructions in Maharashtra rose steadily.

To date, Bhor is the 134th-most disconnected out of the 186 cities in Maharashtra. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Maharashtra, the street network in Bhor has become more connected. Bhor ranked 91st in 1975, 144th in 1976-1990, 110th in 1991-2000 and 134th in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Bhor is the 1256th-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 Bhor has become more connected. Bhor ranked 822nd in 1975, 1266th in 1976-1990, 1049th in 1991-2000 and 1256th in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Bhor had a built-up area of 0.71 square kilometers, and a population of 61385 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: