Street-network Sprawl in Kanchipuram, 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.

Kanchipuram: 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 Kanchipuram, India on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Kanchipuram as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 2.86, 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, nan, 3.06 and 3.79. Data was not available in 1976-1990.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Kanchipuram spans a total of 258 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed prior to 1975. These roads have an SNDi of 2.36, 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, 2.36, 2.6 and 2.86. Overall, the SNDi of the aggregate street network has risen: the street network in Kanchipuram has become more disconnected.

Kanchipuram and Tamil Nadu do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. There was not enough data from the city, while the SNDi of street constructions in Tamil Nadu rose steadily.

How do development practices in Kanchipuram fare in comparison to others in Tamil Nadu? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Kanchipuram was the 59th-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 Kanchipuram has become more disconnected. Kanchipuram ranked 39th in 1975, 74th in 1991-2000 and 59th in 2001-2014. There was no ranking in 1976-1990 due to unavailable data.

Kanchipuram and India do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. There was not enough data from the city, while the SNDi of street constructions in India rose steadily.

How do development practices in Kanchipuram fare in comparison to others in India? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Kanchipuram was the 492nd-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 Kanchipuram has become more disconnected. Kanchipuram ranked 420th in 1975, 526th in 1991-2000 and 492nd in 2001-2014. There was no ranking in 1976-1990 due to unavailable data.

Kanchipuram and Tamil Nadu do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi in Kanchipuram rose steadily, while the SNDi of street constructions in Tamil Nadu rose steadily.

To date, Kanchipuram is the 75th-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 Kanchipuram has become more connected. Kanchipuram ranked 39th in 1975, 66th in 1976-1990, 71st in 1991-2000 and 75th in 2001-2014.

Kanchipuram and India do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi in Kanchipuram rose steadily, while the SNDi of street constructions in India rose steadily.

To date, Kanchipuram is the 701st-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 Kanchipuram has become more connected. Kanchipuram ranked 420th in 1975, 650th in 1976-1990, 691st in 1991-2000 and 701st in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Kanchipuram had a built-up area of 10.53 square kilometers, and a population of 370068 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: