Street-network Sprawl in Nagpur, 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.

Nagpur: 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 Nagpur, India on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Nagpur as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 2.42, 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 1.89, 3.31, 4.52 and 4.92. In each period, new street development in Nagpur steadily grows more disconnected than in the last. This increase has slowed: between 1975 and 1976-1990, SNDi rose by 1.42 points, but between 1991-2000 and 2001-2014, it rose by just 0.4.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Nagpur spans a total of 3522 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed prior to 1975. These roads have an SNDi of 1.89, 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 1.89, 2.21, 2.36 and 2.42. Overall, the SNDi of the aggregate street network has risen: the street network in Nagpur has become more disconnected. This increase has slowed: between 1975 and 1976-1990, SNDi rose by 0.32 points, but between 1991-2000 and 2001-2014, it rose by just 0.06.

Nagpur and Maharashtra 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 Nagpur fare in comparison to others in Maharashtra? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Nagpur was the 33rd-most disconnected out of the 186 cities in Maharashtra. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has risen; relative to other cities in Maharashtra, street construction in Nagpur has become more disconnected. Nagpur ranked 43rd in 1975, 29th in 1976-1990, 22nd in 1991-2000 and 33rd in 2001-2014.

Nagpur 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 Nagpur fare in comparison to others in India? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Nagpur was the 254th-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 Nagpur has become more disconnected. Nagpur ranked 505th in 1975, 361st in 1976-1990, 255th in 1991-2000 and 254th in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Nagpur is the 93rd-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 Nagpur has become more connected. Nagpur ranked 43rd in 1975, 79th in 1976-1990, 84th in 1991-2000 and 93rd in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Nagpur is the 865th-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 Nagpur has become more connected. Nagpur ranked 505th in 1975, 709th in 1976-1990, 772nd in 1991-2000 and 865th in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Nagpur had a built-up area of 108.3 square kilometers, and a population of 2908827 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: