Street-network Sprawl in Dakpathar, 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.

Dakpathar: city in Uttarakhand, 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 Dakpathar, India on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Dakpathar as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 3.21, 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 3.69, 3.6, 3.72 and 0.96. Disconnectivity in street construction in Dakpathar follows a zig-zag trend. In 2001-2014, street construction was most disconnected, while construction was most connected in 1991-2000.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Dakpathar spans a total of 80 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed in 1976-1990. These roads have an SNDi of 3.6, 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 3.69, 3.63, 3.64 and 3.21. Disconnectivity in Dakpathar's street network follows a zig-zag trend. In 2001-2014, the city was most disconnected; while it was most connected in 1975.

Dakpathar and Uttarakhand do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi in Dakpathar followed a zig-zag trend with an overall decrease, while the SNDi of street constructions in Uttarakhand peaked in 1991-2000.

How do development practices in Dakpathar fare in comparison to others in Uttarakhand? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Dakpathar was the 17th-most disconnected out of the 22 cities in Uttarakhand. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Uttarakhand, street construction in Dakpathar has become more connected. Dakpathar ranked 7th in 1975, 6th in 1976-1990, 9th in 1991-2000 and 17th in 2001-2014.

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

How do development practices in Dakpathar fare in comparison to others in India? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Dakpathar was the 1027th-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 Dakpathar has become more connected. Dakpathar ranked 200th in 1975, 293rd in 1976-1990, 383rd in 1991-2000 and 1027th in 2001-2014.

Dakpathar and Uttarakhand do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi in Dakpathar followed a zig-zag trend with an overall decrease, while the SNDi of street constructions in Uttarakhand rose steadily.

To date, Dakpathar is the 11th-most disconnected out of the 22 cities in Uttarakhand. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Uttarakhand, the street network in Dakpathar has become more connected. Dakpathar ranked 7th in 1975, 7th in 1976-1990, 8th in 1991-2000 and 11th in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Dakpathar is the 558th-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 Dakpathar has become more connected. Dakpathar ranked 200th in 1975, 285th in 1976-1990, 333rd in 1991-2000 and 558th in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Dakpathar had a built-up area of 1.62 square kilometers, and a population of 52945 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: