Street-network Sprawl in Bikaner, 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.

Bikaner: city in Rajasthan, 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 Bikaner, India on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Bikaner as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 2.2, which is relatively well-connected.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are 4.85, 2.23, 1.67 and 2.31. The disconnectivity of new streets constructed in Bikaner fell, then rose. In 1991-2000, new street layouts were the most connected.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Bikaner spans a total of 862 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed in 1976-1990. These roads have an SNDi of 2.23, 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 4.85, 2.24, 2.15 and 2.2. The SNDi of the aggregate street network in fell at first, but Bikaner has worsened in disconnectivity since 2000.

Bikaner and Rajasthan do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi in Bikaner was at its lowest in 1991-2000, while the SNDi of street constructions in Rajasthan rose steadily.

How do development practices in Bikaner fare in comparison to others in Rajasthan? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Bikaner was the 47th-most disconnected out of the 135 cities in Rajasthan. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Rajasthan, street construction in Bikaner has become more connected. Bikaner ranked 6th in 1975, 39th in 1976-1990, 42nd in 1991-2000 and 47th in 2001-2014.

Bikaner and India do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi in Bikaner was at its lowest in 1991-2000, while the SNDi of street constructions in India rose steadily.

How do development practices in Bikaner fare in comparison to others in India? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Bikaner was the 818th-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 Bikaner has become more connected. Bikaner ranked 93rd in 1975, 671st in 1976-1990, 771st in 1991-2000 and 818th in 2001-2014.

Bikaner and Rajasthan do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi in Bikaner was at its lowest in 1991-2000, while the SNDi of street constructions in Rajasthan rose steadily.

To date, Bikaner is the 47th-most disconnected out of the 135 cities in Rajasthan. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Rajasthan, the street network in Bikaner has become more connected. Bikaner ranked 6th in 1975, 36th in 1976-1990, 40th in 1991-2000 and 47th in 2001-2014.

Bikaner and India do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi in Bikaner was at its lowest in 1991-2000, while the SNDi of street constructions in India rose steadily.

To date, Bikaner is the 950th-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 Bikaner has become more connected. Bikaner ranked 93rd in 1975, 699th in 1976-1990, 825th in 1991-2000 and 950th in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Bikaner had a built-up area of 39.87 square kilometers, and a population of 792281 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: