Street-network Sprawl in Jaynagar Majilpur, 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.

Jaynagar Majilpur: 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 Jaynagar Majilpur, India on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Jaynagar Majilpur as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 1.19, which is relatively well-connected.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are -0.06, 2.12, -0.28 and 1.19. Disconnectivity in street construction in Jaynagar Majilpur follows a zig-zag trend. In 1991-2000, street construction was most disconnected, while construction was most connected in 1976-1990.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Jaynagar Majilpur spans a total of 149 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed in 2001-2014. These roads have an SNDi of 1.19, 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 -0.06, 1.34, 1.18 and 1.19. Disconnectivity in Jaynagar Majilpur's street network follows a zig-zag trend. In 1975, the city was most disconnected; while it was most connected in 1976-1990.

Jaynagar Majilpur and West Bengal do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi in Jaynagar Majilpur followed a zig-zag trend with an overall increase, while the SNDi of street constructions in West Bengal rose steadily.

How do development practices in Jaynagar Majilpur fare in comparison to others in West Bengal? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Jaynagar Majilpur was the 34th-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 Jaynagar Majilpur has become more connected. Jaynagar Majilpur ranked 30th in 1975, 36th in 1976-1990, 25th in 1991-2000 and 34th in 2001-2014.

Jaynagar Majilpur and India do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi in Jaynagar Majilpur followed a zig-zag trend with an overall increase, while the SNDi of street constructions in India rose steadily.

How do development practices in Jaynagar Majilpur fare in comparison to others in India? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Jaynagar Majilpur was the 998th-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 Jaynagar Majilpur has become more connected. Jaynagar Majilpur ranked 789th in 1975, 692nd in 1976-1990, 981st in 1991-2000 and 998th in 2001-2014.

Jaynagar Majilpur and West Bengal do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi in Jaynagar Majilpur followed a zig-zag trend with an overall increase, while the SNDi of street constructions in West Bengal rose steadily.

To date, Jaynagar Majilpur is the 54th-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 Jaynagar Majilpur has become more connected. Jaynagar Majilpur ranked 30th in 1975, 42nd in 1976-1990, 47th in 1991-2000 and 54th in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Jaynagar Majilpur is the 1267th-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 Jaynagar Majilpur has become more connected. Jaynagar Majilpur ranked 789th in 1975, 977th in 1976-1990, 1132nd in 1991-2000 and 1267th in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Jaynagar Majilpur had a built-up area of 31.43 square kilometers, and a population of 560028 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: