Street-network Sprawl in Kichha, 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.

Kichha: 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 Kichha, India on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Kichha as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 3.45, which is highly disconnected.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are 3.38, 3.14, 3.15 and 4.12. The disconnectivity of new streets constructed in Kichha fell, then rose. In 1976-1990, new street layouts were the most connected.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Kichha spans a total of 94 kilometers. The period with the greatest volume of street construction was 2001-2014. These roads have an SNDi of 4.12, 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 3.38, 3.31, 3.24 and 3.45. The SNDi of the aggregate street network in fell at first, but Kichha has worsened in disconnectivity since 2000.

Kichha and Uttarakhand do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi in Kichha was at its lowest in 1976-1990, while the SNDi of street constructions in Uttarakhand peaked in 1991-2000.

How do development practices in Kichha fare in comparison to others in Uttarakhand? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Kichha was the 8th-most disconnected out of the 22 cities in Uttarakhand. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has risen; relative to other cities in Uttarakhand, street construction in Kichha has become more disconnected. Kichha ranked 11th in 1975, 8th in 1976-1990, 11th in 1991-2000 and 8th in 2001-2014.

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

How do development practices in Kichha fare in comparison to others in India? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Kichha was the 425th-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 Kichha has become more connected. Kichha ranked 242nd in 1975, 417th in 1976-1990, 508th in 1991-2000 and 425th in 2001-2014.

Kichha and Uttarakhand do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi in Kichha was at its lowest in 1991-2000, while the SNDi of street constructions in Uttarakhand rose steadily.

To date, Kichha is the 10th-most disconnected out of the 22 cities in Uttarakhand. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has risen; relative to other cities in Uttarakhand, the street network in Kichha has become more disconnected. Kichha ranked 11th in 1975, 10th in 1976-1990, 10th in 1991-2000 and 10th in 2001-2014.

Kichha and India do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi in Kichha was at its lowest in 1991-2000, while the SNDi of street constructions in India rose steadily.

To date, Kichha is the 479th-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 Kichha has become more connected. Kichha ranked 242nd in 1975, 360th in 1976-1990, 457th in 1991-2000 and 479th in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Kichha had a built-up area of 2.47 square kilometers, and a population of 61875 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: