Street-network Sprawl in Pudukadai, 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.

Pudukadai: 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 Pudukadai, India on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Pudukadai as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 3.83, which is highly disconnected.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are -0.29, nan, 7.71 and 2.69. Data was not available in 1976-1990.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Pudukadai spans a total of 54 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed in 2001-2014. These roads have an SNDi of 2.69, 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 -0.29, 2.73, 5.33 and 3.83. The aggregate street network in Pudukadai increased in disconnectivity initially,but the trend has turned around after 2000.

Pudukadai 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 Pudukadai fare in comparison to others in Tamil Nadu? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Pudukadai was the 93rd-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 Pudukadai has become more connected. Pudukadai ranked 80th in 1975, 2nd in 1991-2000 and 93rd in 2001-2014. There was no ranking in 1976-1990 due to unavailable data.

Pudukadai 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 Pudukadai fare in comparison to others in India? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Pudukadai was the 749th-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 Pudukadai has become more connected. Pudukadai ranked 809th in 1975, 27th in 1991-2000 and 749th in 2001-2014. There was no ranking in 1976-1990 due to unavailable data.

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

To date, Pudukadai is the 28th-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, the street network in Pudukadai has become more disconnected. Pudukadai ranked 80th in 1975, 55th in 1976-1990, 9th in 1991-2000 and 28th in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Pudukadai is the 351st-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 Pudukadai has become more disconnected. Pudukadai ranked 809th in 1975, 537th in 1976-1990, 75th in 1991-2000 and 351st in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Pudukadai had a built-up area of 1.16 square kilometers, and a population of 207094 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: