Street-network Sprawl in Basti, 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.

Basti: city in Uttar Pradesh, 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 Basti, India on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Basti as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 2.91, 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 4.04, 5.5, 2.71 and 1.17. Street construction in Basti increased in disconnectivity initially but has since improved. The streets constructed in 1976-1990 were the most disconnected.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Basti spans a total of 147 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed in 2001-2014. These roads have an SNDi of 1.17, which is relatively well-connected.

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 4.04, 4.25, 3.28 and 2.91. The aggregate street network in Basti increased in disconnectivity initially,but the trend has turned around after 1990.

Basti and Uttar Pradesh do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi in Basti peaked in 1976-1990, while the SNDi of street constructions in Uttar Pradesh rose steadily.

How do development practices in Basti fare in comparison to others in Uttar Pradesh? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Basti was the 91st-most disconnected out of the 204 cities in Uttar Pradesh. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Uttar Pradesh, street construction in Basti has become more connected. Basti ranked 22nd in 1975, 7th in 1976-1990, 56th in 1991-2000 and 91st in 2001-2014.

Basti and India do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi in Basti peaked in 1976-1990, while the SNDi of street constructions in India rose steadily.

How do development practices in Basti fare in comparison to others in India? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Basti was the 1002nd-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 Basti has become more connected. Basti ranked 164th in 1975, 61st in 1976-1990, 607th in 1991-2000 and 1002nd in 2001-2014.

Basti and Uttar Pradesh do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi in Basti peaked in 1976-1990, while the SNDi of street constructions in Uttar Pradesh rose steadily.

To date, Basti is the 73rd-most disconnected out of the 204 cities in Uttar Pradesh. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Uttar Pradesh, the street network in Basti has become more connected. Basti ranked 22nd in 1975, 25th in 1976-1990, 49th in 1991-2000 and 73rd in 2001-2014.

Basti and India do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi in Basti peaked in 1976-1990, while the SNDi of street constructions in India rose steadily.

To date, Basti is the 675th-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 Basti has become more connected. Basti ranked 164th in 1975, 176th in 1976-1990, 445th in 1991-2000 and 675th in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Basti had a built-up area of 7.39 square kilometers, and a population of 715412 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: