Street-network Sprawl in Mathura, 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.

Mathura: 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 Mathura, India on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Mathura as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 3.38, which is highly disconnected.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are 5.09, 2.5, 3.42 and 3.62. The disconnectivity of new streets constructed in Mathura fell, then rose. In 1976-1990, new street layouts were the most connected.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Mathura spans a total of 402 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed in 1991-2000. These roads have an SNDi of 3.42, 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 5.09, 3.26, 3.4 and 3.38. Disconnectivity in Mathura's street network follows a zig-zag trend. In 1976-1990, the city was most disconnected; while it was most connected in 1975.

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

How do development practices in Mathura fare in comparison to others in Uttar Pradesh? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Mathura was the 36th-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 Mathura has become more connected. Mathura ranked 12th in 1975, 48th in 1976-1990, 44th in 1991-2000 and 36th in 2001-2014.

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

How do development practices in Mathura fare in comparison to others in India? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Mathura was the 527th-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 Mathura has become more connected. Mathura ranked 76th in 1975, 591st in 1976-1990, 454th in 1991-2000 and 527th in 2001-2014.

Mathura and Uttar Pradesh do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi in Mathura followed a zig-zag trend with an overall decrease, while the SNDi of street constructions in Uttar Pradesh rose steadily.

To date, Mathura is the 57th-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 Mathura has become more connected. Mathura ranked 12th in 1975, 36th in 1976-1990, 45th in 1991-2000 and 57th in 2001-2014.

Mathura and India do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi in Mathura followed a zig-zag trend with an overall decrease, while the SNDi of street constructions in India rose steadily.

To date, Mathura is the 503rd-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 Mathura has become more connected. Mathura ranked 76th in 1975, 373rd in 1976-1990, 408th in 1991-2000 and 503rd in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Mathura had a built-up area of 21.0 square kilometers, and a population of 357140 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: