Street-network Sprawl in Kuchaman, 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.

Kuchaman: 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 Kuchaman, India on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Kuchaman as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 1.39, which is relatively well-connected.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are 0.6, 1.21, 1.57 and 2.62. In each period, new street development in Kuchaman steadily grows more disconnected than in the last.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Kuchaman spans a total of 90 kilometers. The period with the greatest volume of street construction was 2001-2014. These roads have an SNDi of 2.62, 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 0.6, 1.19, 1.39 and 1.39. The aggregate street network in Kuchaman increased in disconnectivity initially,but the trend has turned around after 2000.

Kuchaman and Rajasthan 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 Kuchaman fare in comparison to others in Rajasthan? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Kuchaman was the 38th-most disconnected out of the 135 cities in Rajasthan. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has risen; relative to other cities in Rajasthan, street construction in Kuchaman has become more disconnected. Kuchaman ranked 44th in 1975, 55th in 1976-1990, 44th in 1991-2000 and 38th in 2001-2014.

Kuchaman 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 Kuchaman fare in comparison to others in India? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Kuchaman was the 764th-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 Kuchaman has become more connected. Kuchaman ranked 708th in 1975, 914th in 1976-1990, 785th in 1991-2000 and 764th in 2001-2014.

Kuchaman and Rajasthan do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi in Kuchaman peaked in 1991-2000, while the SNDi of street constructions in Rajasthan rose steadily.

To date, Kuchaman is the 68th-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 Kuchaman has become more connected. Kuchaman ranked 44th in 1975, 61st in 1976-1990, 61st in 1991-2000 and 68th in 2001-2014.

Kuchaman and India do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi in Kuchaman peaked in 1991-2000, while the SNDi of street constructions in India rose steadily.

To date, Kuchaman is the 1201st-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 Kuchaman has become more connected. Kuchaman ranked 708th in 1975, 1017th in 1976-1990, 1079th in 1991-2000 and 1201st in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Kuchaman had a built-up area of 4.56 square kilometers, and a population of 127949 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: