Street-network Sprawl in Dharapuram, 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.

Dharapuram: city in Tamil Nadu, 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 Dharapuram, India on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Dharapuram as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 1.02, which is relatively well-connected.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are 0.04, 0.81, 3.46 and 5.22. In each period, new street development in Dharapuram steadily grows more disconnected than in the last.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Dharapuram spans a total of 105 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed in 1976-1990. These roads have an SNDi of 0.81, 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 0.04, 0.75, 0.89 and 1.02. Overall, the SNDi of the aggregate street network has risen: the street network in Dharapuram has become more disconnected. This increase has slowed: between 1975 and 1976-1990, SNDi rose by 0.71 points, but between 1991-2000 and 2001-2014, it rose by just 0.13.

Dharapuram and Tamil Nadu 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 Dharapuram fare in comparison to others in Tamil Nadu? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Dharapuram was the 20th-most disconnected out of the 151 cities in Tamil Nadu. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has risen; relative to other cities in Tamil Nadu, street construction in Dharapuram has become more disconnected. Dharapuram ranked 78th in 1975, 96th in 1976-1990, 58th in 1991-2000 and 20th in 2001-2014.

Dharapuram 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 Dharapuram fare in comparison to others in India? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Dharapuram was the 202nd-most disconnected out of the 1716 cities in India. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has risen; relative to other cities in India, street construction in Dharapuram has become more disconnected. Dharapuram ranked 780th in 1975, 994th in 1976-1990, 447th in 1991-2000 and 202nd in 2001-2014.

Dharapuram and Tamil Nadu follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi for both of these rose steadily.

To date, Dharapuram is the 135th-most disconnected out of the 151 cities in Tamil Nadu. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Tamil Nadu, the street network in Dharapuram has become more connected. Dharapuram ranked 78th in 1975, 119th in 1976-1990, 125th in 1991-2000 and 135th in 2001-2014.

Dharapuram and India follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi for both of these rose steadily.

To date, Dharapuram is the 1312th-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 Dharapuram has become more connected. Dharapuram ranked 780th in 1975, 1133rd in 1976-1990, 1212th in 1991-2000 and 1312th in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Dharapuram had a built-up area of 4.64 square kilometers, and a population of 129255 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: