Street-network Sprawl in Faizabad, 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.

Faizabad: 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 Faizabad, India on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Faizabad as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 1.96, which is relatively well-connected.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are 2.0, 4.1, 2.46 and 1.86. Street construction in Faizabad 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 Faizabad spans a total of 326 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed in 2001-2014. These roads have an SNDi of 1.86, 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 2.0, 2.08, 2.11 and 1.96. The aggregate street network in Faizabad increased in disconnectivity initially,but the trend has turned around after 2000.

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

How do development practices in Faizabad fare in comparison to others in Uttar Pradesh? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Faizabad was the 79th-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 Faizabad has become more connected. Faizabad ranked 52nd in 1975, 27th in 1976-1990, 59th in 1991-2000 and 79th in 2001-2014.

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

How do development practices in Faizabad fare in comparison to others in India? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Faizabad was the 911th-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 Faizabad has become more connected. Faizabad ranked 483rd in 1975, 208th in 1976-1990, 650th in 1991-2000 and 911th in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Faizabad is the 110th-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 Faizabad has become more connected. Faizabad ranked 52nd in 1975, 62nd in 1976-1990, 88th in 1991-2000 and 110th in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Faizabad is the 1036th-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 Faizabad has become more connected. Faizabad ranked 483rd in 1975, 742nd in 1976-1990, 841st in 1991-2000 and 1036th in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Faizabad had a built-up area of 11.65 square kilometers, and a population of 1825357 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: