Street-network Sprawl in Kanpur, 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.

Kanpur: 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 Kanpur, India on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Kanpur as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 2.14, which is relatively well-connected.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are 1.85, 1.88, 2.3 and 2.91. In each period, new street development in Kanpur steadily grows more disconnected than in the last.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Kanpur spans a total of 1283 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed in 1976-1990. These roads have an SNDi of 1.88, 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 1.85, 1.87, 1.97 and 2.14. Overall, the SNDi of the aggregate street network has risen: the street network in Kanpur has become more disconnected.

Kanpur and Uttar Pradesh follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi for both of these rose steadily.

How do development practices in Kanpur fare in comparison to others in Uttar Pradesh? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Kanpur was the 53rd-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 Kanpur has become more disconnected. Kanpur ranked 54th in 1975, 62nd in 1976-1990, 60th in 1991-2000 and 53rd in 2001-2014.

Kanpur and India follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi for both of these rose steadily.

How do development practices in Kanpur fare in comparison to others in India? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Kanpur was the 697th-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 Kanpur has become more connected. Kanpur ranked 513th in 1975, 753rd in 1976-1990, 679th in 1991-2000 and 697th in 2001-2014.

Kanpur 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, Kanpur is the 102nd-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 Kanpur has become more connected. Kanpur ranked 54th in 1975, 71st in 1976-1990, 92nd in 1991-2000 and 102nd in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Kanpur is the 970th-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 Kanpur has become more connected. Kanpur ranked 513th in 1975, 814th in 1976-1990, 890th in 1991-2000 and 970th in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Kanpur had a built-up area of 101.82 square kilometers, and a population of 3773461 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population:

For some related information about population, urban extent and density, and roads, visit the Atlas of Urban Expansion.