Street-network Sprawl in Agartala, 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.

Agartala: city in Tripura, 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 Agartala, India on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Agartala as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 2.6, 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 1.27, 1.9, 3.0 and 4.33. In each period, new street development in Agartala steadily grows more disconnected than in the last.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Agartala spans a total of 373 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed in 2001-2014. These roads have an SNDi of 4.33, which is highly disconnected.

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 1.27, 1.88, 1.9 and 2.6. Overall, the SNDi of the aggregate street network has risen: the street network in Agartala has become more disconnected.

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

How do development practices in Agartala fare in comparison to others in Tripura? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Agartala was the 1st-most disconnected out of the 4 cities in Tripura. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has risen; relative to other cities in Tripura, street construction in Agartala has become more disconnected. Agartala ranked 2nd in 1975, 3rd in 1976-1990, 3rd in 1991-2000 and 1st in 2001-2014.

Agartala 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 Agartala fare in comparison to others in India? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Agartala was the 373rd-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 Agartala has become more disconnected. Agartala ranked 607th in 1975, 745th in 1976-1990, 541st in 1991-2000 and 373rd in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Agartala is the 2nd-most disconnected out of the 4 cities in Tripura. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has not changed. Agartala ranked 2nd in 1975, 3rd in 1976-1990, 3rd in 1991-2000 and 2nd in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Agartala is the 795th-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 Agartala has become more connected. Agartala ranked 607th in 1975, 813th in 1976-1990, 919th in 1991-2000 and 795th in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Agartala had a built-up area of 51.58 square kilometers, and a population of 842924 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: