Street-network Sprawl in Bankura, 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.

Bankura: city in West Bengal, 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 Bankura, India on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Bankura as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 2.27, which is relatively well-connected.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are 2.21, 2.48, 2.18 and 0.86. Street construction in Bankura 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 Bankura spans a total of 119 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed in 1976-1990. These roads have an SNDi of 2.48, which is in the 40th to 60th percentile of disconnectedness.

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 2.21, 2.25, 2.29 and 2.27. The aggregate street network in Bankura increased in disconnectivity initially,but the trend has turned around after 2000.

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

How do development practices in Bankura fare in comparison to others in West Bengal? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Bankura was the 35th-most disconnected out of the 80 cities in West Bengal. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in West Bengal, street construction in Bankura has become more connected. Bankura ranked 18th in 1975, 29th in 1976-1990, 19th in 1991-2000 and 35th in 2001-2014.

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

How do development practices in Bankura fare in comparison to others in India? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Bankura was the 1045th-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 Bankura has become more connected. Bankura ranked 444th in 1975, 595th in 1976-1990, 696th in 1991-2000 and 1045th in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Bankura is the 37th-most disconnected out of the 80 cities in West Bengal. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in West Bengal, the street network in Bankura has become more connected. Bankura ranked 18th in 1975, 31st in 1976-1990, 31st in 1991-2000 and 37th in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Bankura is the 928th-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 Bankura has become more connected. Bankura ranked 444th in 1975, 694th in 1976-1990, 798th in 1991-2000 and 928th in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Bankura had a built-up area of 9.91 square kilometers, and a population of 333868 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: