Street-network Sprawl in Dehradun, 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.

Dehradun: 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 Dehradun, India on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Dehradun as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 6.27, which is highly disconnected.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are 6.02, 6.2, 7.94 and 6.56. Street construction in Dehradun increased in disconnectivity initially but has since improved. The streets constructed in 1991-2000 were the most disconnected.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Dehradun spans a total of 855 kilometers. The period with the greatest volume of street construction was 1976-1990. These roads have an SNDi of 6.2, 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 6.02, 6.12, 6.28 and 6.27. The aggregate street network in Dehradun increased in disconnectivity initially,but the trend has turned around after 2000.

Dehradun and Uttarakhand follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi for both of these peaked in 1991-2000.

How do development practices in Dehradun fare in comparison to others in Uttarakhand? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Dehradun was the 1st-most disconnected out of the 22 cities in Uttarakhand. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has not changed. Dehradun ranked 1st in 1975, 1st in 1976-1990, 1st in 1991-2000 and 1st in 2001-2014.

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

How do development practices in Dehradun fare in comparison to others in India? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Dehradun was the 73rd-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 Dehradun has become more connected. Dehradun ranked 44th in 1975, 39th in 1976-1990, 24th in 1991-2000 and 73rd in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Dehradun is the 1st-most disconnected out of the 22 cities in Uttarakhand. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has not changed. Dehradun ranked 1st in 1975, 1st in 1976-1990, 1st in 1991-2000 and 1st in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Dehradun is the 39th-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 Dehradun has become more disconnected. Dehradun ranked 44th in 1975, 34th in 1976-1990, 34th in 1991-2000 and 39th in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Dehradun had a built-up area of 29.18 square kilometers, and a population of 1071076 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: