Street-network Sprawl in Raver, 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.

Raver: 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 Raver, India on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Raver as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 3.23, 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 2.61, 3.25, 4.2 and 5.04. In each period, new street development in Raver steadily grows more disconnected than in the last.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Raver spans a total of 50 kilometers. The period with the greatest volume of street construction was 1975. These roads have an SNDi of 2.61, 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 2.61, 2.77, 2.94 and 3.23. Overall, the SNDi of the aggregate street network has risen: the street network in Raver has become more disconnected.

Raver 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 Raver fare in comparison to others in Maharashtra? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Raver was the 27th-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 Raver has become more connected. Raver ranked 25th in 1975, 31st in 1976-1990, 27th in 1991-2000 and 27th in 2001-2014.

Raver 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 Raver fare in comparison to others in India? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Raver was the 234th-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 Raver has become more disconnected. Raver ranked 362nd in 1975, 379th in 1976-1990, 298th in 1991-2000 and 234th in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Raver is the 57th-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 Raver has become more connected. Raver ranked 25th in 1975, 47th in 1976-1990, 53rd in 1991-2000 and 57th in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Raver is the 553rd-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 Raver has become more connected. Raver ranked 362nd in 1975, 519th in 1976-1990, 558th in 1991-2000 and 553rd in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Raver had a built-up area of 1.06 square kilometers, and a population of 67894 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: