Street-network Sprawl in Uran, 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.

Uran: 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 Uran, India on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Uran as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 4.19, which is highly disconnected.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are 3.38, 4.49, 3.4 and 4.83. Disconnectivity in street construction in Uran 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 Uran spans a total of 281 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed in 1976-1990. These roads have an SNDi of 4.49, which is highly disconnected.

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 3.38, 4.12, 4.07 and 4.19. Disconnectivity in Uran's street network follows a zig-zag trend. In 1975, the city was most disconnected; while it was most connected in 2001-2014.

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

How do development practices in Uran fare in comparison to others in Maharashtra? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Uran was the 35th-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 Uran has become more connected. Uran ranked 18th in 1975, 11th in 1976-1990, 47th in 1991-2000 and 35th in 2001-2014.

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

How do development practices in Uran fare in comparison to others in India? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Uran was the 275th-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 Uran has become more connected. Uran ranked 241st in 1975, 154th in 1976-1990, 456th in 1991-2000 and 275th in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Uran is the 24th-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 Uran has become more connected. Uran ranked 18th in 1975, 16th in 1976-1990, 18th in 1991-2000 and 24th in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Uran is the 273rd-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 Uran has become more connected. Uran ranked 241st in 1975, 190th in 1976-1990, 233rd in 1991-2000 and 273rd in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Uran had a built-up area of 2.93 square kilometers, and a population of 96312 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: