Street-network Sprawl in Firozpur, 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.

Firozpur: city in Punjab, 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 Firozpur, India on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Firozpur as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 0.85, which is relatively well-connected.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are -0.13, 2.55, 2.46 and 2.2. Street construction in Firozpur increased in disconnectivity initially but has since improved. The streets constructed in 1976-1990 were the most disconnected.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Firozpur spans a total of 156 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed in 1976-1990. These roads have an SNDi of 2.55, 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 -0.13, 0.87, 0.87 and 0.85. The aggregate street network in Firozpur increased in disconnectivity initially,but the trend has turned around after 1990.

Firozpur and Punjab do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi in Firozpur peaked in 1976-1990, while the SNDi of street constructions in Punjab peaked in 1991-2000.

How do development practices in Firozpur fare in comparison to others in Punjab? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Firozpur was the 22nd-most disconnected out of the 40 cities in Punjab. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has risen; relative to other cities in Punjab, street construction in Firozpur has become more disconnected. Firozpur ranked 30th in 1975, 14th in 1976-1990, 19th in 1991-2000 and 22nd in 2001-2014.

Firozpur and India do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi in Firozpur peaked in 1976-1990, while the SNDi of street constructions in India rose steadily.

How do development practices in Firozpur fare in comparison to others in India? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Firozpur was the 836th-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 Firozpur has become more connected. Firozpur ranked 795th in 1975, 580th in 1976-1990, 651st in 1991-2000 and 836th in 2001-2014.

Firozpur and Punjab do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi in Firozpur peaked in 1976-1990, while the SNDi of street constructions in Punjab rose steadily.

To date, Firozpur is the 28th-most disconnected out of the 40 cities in Punjab. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has risen; relative to other cities in Punjab, the street network in Firozpur has become more disconnected. Firozpur ranked 30th in 1975, 25th in 1976-1990, 27th in 1991-2000 and 28th in 2001-2014.

Firozpur and India do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi in Firozpur peaked in 1976-1990, while the SNDi of street constructions in India rose steadily.

To date, Firozpur is the 1343rd-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 Firozpur has become more connected. Firozpur ranked 795th in 1975, 1097th in 1976-1990, 1214th in 1991-2000 and 1343rd in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Firozpur had a built-up area of 14.6 square kilometers, and a population of 186205 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: