Street-network Sprawl in Firozabad, 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.

Firozabad: 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 Firozabad, India on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Firozabad as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 3.69, which is highly disconnected.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are 1.79, 2.54, 5.21 and 4.65. Street construction in Firozabad 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 Firozabad spans a total of 210 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed in 2001-2014. These roads have an SNDi of 4.65, 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 1.79, 2.16, 3.19 and 3.69. Overall, the SNDi of the aggregate street network has risen: the street network in Firozabad has become more disconnected.

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

How do development practices in Firozabad fare in comparison to others in Uttar Pradesh? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Firozabad was the 25th-most disconnected out of the 204 cities in Uttar Pradesh. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has risen; relative to other cities in Uttar Pradesh, street construction in Firozabad has become more disconnected. Firozabad ranked 56th in 1975, 47th in 1976-1990, 20th in 1991-2000 and 25th in 2001-2014.

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

How do development practices in Firozabad fare in comparison to others in India? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Firozabad was the 311th-most disconnected out of the 1716 cities in India. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has risen; relative to other cities in India, street construction in Firozabad has become more disconnected. Firozabad ranked 526th in 1975, 583rd in 1976-1990, 162nd in 1991-2000 and 311th in 2001-2014.

Firozabad and Uttar Pradesh follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi for both of these rose steadily.

To date, Firozabad is the 46th-most disconnected out of the 204 cities in Uttar Pradesh. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has risen; relative to other cities in Uttar Pradesh, the street network in Firozabad has become more disconnected. Firozabad ranked 56th in 1975, 60th in 1976-1990, 52nd in 1991-2000 and 46th in 2001-2014.

Firozabad and India follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi for both of these rose steadily.

To date, Firozabad is the 392nd-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 Firozabad has become more disconnected. Firozabad ranked 526th in 1975, 715th in 1976-1990, 480th in 1991-2000 and 392nd in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Firozabad had a built-up area of 17.97 square kilometers, and a population of 822860 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: