Street-network Sprawl in Bodhan, 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.

Bodhan: city in Telangana, 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 Bodhan, India on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Bodhan as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 3.59, which is highly disconnected.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are 7.53, 3.14, 3.82 and 4.49. The disconnectivity of new streets constructed in Bodhan fell, then rose. In 1976-1990, new street layouts were the most connected.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Bodhan spans a total of 159 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed in 1976-1990. These roads have an SNDi of 3.14, 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 7.53, 3.35, 3.48 and 3.59. The SNDi of the aggregate street network in fell at first, but Bodhan has worsened in disconnectivity since 1990.

Bodhan and Telangana do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi in Bodhan was at its lowest in 1976-1990, while the SNDi of street constructions in Telangana rose steadily.

How do development practices in Bodhan fare in comparison to others in Telangana? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Bodhan was the 9th-most disconnected out of the 51 cities in Telangana. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Telangana, street construction in Bodhan has become more connected. Bodhan ranked 1st in 1975, 7th in 1976-1990, 8th in 1991-2000 and 9th in 2001-2014.

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

How do development practices in Bodhan fare in comparison to others in India? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Bodhan was the 345th-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 Bodhan has become more connected. Bodhan ranked 14th in 1975, 416th in 1976-1990, 369th in 1991-2000 and 345th in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Bodhan is the 7th-most disconnected out of the 51 cities in Telangana. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Telangana, the street network in Bodhan has become more connected. Bodhan ranked 1st in 1975, 2nd in 1976-1990, 6th in 1991-2000 and 7th in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Bodhan is the 434th-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 Bodhan has become more connected. Bodhan ranked 14th in 1975, 346th in 1976-1990, 382nd in 1991-2000 and 434th in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Bodhan had a built-up area of 3.37 square kilometers, and a population of 90704 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: