Street-network Sprawl in Krishnagiri, 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.

Krishnagiri: 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 Krishnagiri, India on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Krishnagiri as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 0.6, which is relatively well-connected.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are 0.61, 0.5, 3.87 and 1.17. Disconnectivity in street construction in Krishnagiri follows a zig-zag trend. In 1976-1990, street construction was most disconnected, while construction was most connected in 1991-2000.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Krishnagiri spans a total of 107 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed in 1976-1990. These roads have an SNDi of 0.5, 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 0.61, 0.55, 0.59 and 0.6. The SNDi of the aggregate street network in fell at first, but Krishnagiri has worsened in disconnectivity since 1990.

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

How do development practices in Krishnagiri fare in comparison to others in Tamil Nadu? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Krishnagiri was the 126th-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, street construction in Krishnagiri has become more connected. Krishnagiri ranked 72nd in 1975, 108th in 1976-1990, 45th in 1991-2000 and 126th in 2001-2014.

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

How do development practices in Krishnagiri fare in comparison to others in India? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Krishnagiri was the 1003rd-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 Krishnagiri has become more connected. Krishnagiri ranked 707th in 1975, 1046th in 1976-1990, 360th in 1991-2000 and 1003rd in 2001-2014.

Krishnagiri and Tamil Nadu do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi in Krishnagiri was at its lowest in 1976-1990, while the SNDi of street constructions in Tamil Nadu rose steadily.

To date, Krishnagiri is the 142nd-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 Krishnagiri has become more connected. Krishnagiri ranked 72nd in 1975, 122nd in 1976-1990, 132nd in 1991-2000 and 142nd in 2001-2014.

Krishnagiri and India do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi in Krishnagiri was at its lowest in 1976-1990, while the SNDi of street constructions in India rose steadily.

To date, Krishnagiri is the 1403rd-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 Krishnagiri has become more connected. Krishnagiri ranked 707th in 1975, 1174th in 1976-1990, 1288th in 1991-2000 and 1403rd in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Krishnagiri had a built-up area of 8.28 square kilometers, and a population of 258728 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: