Street-network Sprawl in Jodhpur, 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.

Jodhpur: 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 Jodhpur, India on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Jodhpur as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 3.19, 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 2.36, 3.2, 2.76 and 3.7. Disconnectivity in street construction in Jodhpur 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 Jodhpur spans a total of 2274 kilometers. The period with the greatest volume of street construction was 1976-1990. These roads have an SNDi of 3.2, 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 2.36, 2.95, 2.91 and 3.19. Disconnectivity in Jodhpur's street network follows a zig-zag trend. In 1975, the city was most disconnected; while it was most connected in 2001-2014.

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

How do development practices in Jodhpur fare in comparison to others in Rajasthan? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Jodhpur was the 21st-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 Jodhpur has become more connected. Jodhpur ranked 18th in 1975, 22nd in 1976-1990, 23rd in 1991-2000 and 21st in 2001-2014.

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

How do development practices in Jodhpur fare in comparison to others in India? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Jodhpur was the 507th-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 Jodhpur has become more connected. Jodhpur ranked 424th in 1975, 397th in 1976-1990, 589th in 1991-2000 and 507th in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Jodhpur is the 24th-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 Jodhpur has become more connected. Jodhpur ranked 18th in 1975, 27th in 1976-1990, 29th in 1991-2000 and 24th in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Jodhpur is the 563rd-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 Jodhpur has become more connected. Jodhpur ranked 424th in 1975, 461st in 1976-1990, 578th in 1991-2000 and 563rd in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Jodhpur had a built-up area of 62.79 square kilometers, and a population of 1310397 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: