Street-network Sprawl in Sikar, 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.

Sikar: 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 Sikar, India on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Sikar as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 4.41, which is highly disconnected.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are 2.09, 4.7, 5.03 and 3.57. Street construction in Sikar increased in disconnectivity initially but has since improved. The streets constructed in 1991-2000 were the most disconnected.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Sikar spans a total of 121 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed in 1976-1990. These roads have an SNDi of 4.7, 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 2.09, 4.32, 4.45 and 4.41. The aggregate street network in Sikar increased in disconnectivity initially,but the trend has turned around after 2000.

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

How do development practices in Sikar fare in comparison to others in Rajasthan? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Sikar was the 23rd-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 Sikar has become more connected. Sikar ranked 21st in 1975, 7th in 1976-1990, 4th in 1991-2000 and 23rd in 2001-2014.

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

How do development practices in Sikar fare in comparison to others in India? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Sikar was the 540th-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 Sikar has become more connected. Sikar ranked 466th in 1975, 132nd in 1976-1990, 182nd in 1991-2000 and 540th in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Sikar is the 7th-most disconnected out of the 135 cities in Rajasthan. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has risen; relative to other cities in Rajasthan, the street network in Sikar has become more disconnected. Sikar ranked 21st in 1975, 6th in 1976-1990, 5th in 1991-2000 and 7th in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Sikar is the 211th-most disconnected out of the 1716 cities in India. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has risen; relative to other cities in India, the street network in Sikar has become more disconnected. Sikar ranked 466th in 1975, 164th in 1976-1990, 170th in 1991-2000 and 211th in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Sikar had a built-up area of 16.58 square kilometers, and a population of 513052 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: