Street-network Sprawl in Medinipur, 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.

Medinipur: 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 Medinipur, India on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Medinipur as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 3.36, which is highly disconnected.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are 2.59, 2.51, 3.93 and 5.51. The disconnectivity of new streets constructed in Medinipur fell, then rose. In 1976-1990, new street layouts were the most connected.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Medinipur spans a total of 207 kilometers. The period with the greatest volume of street construction was 2001-2014. These roads have an SNDi of 5.51, 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 2.59, 2.52, 2.94 and 3.36. The SNDi of the aggregate street network in fell at first, but Medinipur has worsened in disconnectivity since 1990.

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

How do development practices in Medinipur fare in comparison to others in West Bengal? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Medinipur was the 5th-most disconnected out of the 80 cities in West Bengal. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has risen; relative to other cities in West Bengal, street construction in Medinipur has become more disconnected. Medinipur ranked 15th in 1975, 28th in 1976-1990, 13th in 1991-2000 and 5th in 2001-2014.

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

How do development practices in Medinipur fare in comparison to others in India? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Medinipur was the 171st-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 Medinipur has become more disconnected. Medinipur ranked 368th in 1975, 588th in 1976-1990, 349th in 1991-2000 and 171st in 2001-2014.

Medinipur and West Bengal do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi in Medinipur was at its lowest in 1976-1990, while the SNDi of street constructions in West Bengal rose steadily.

To date, Medinipur is the 19th-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 Medinipur has become more connected. Medinipur ranked 15th in 1975, 26th in 1976-1990, 23rd in 1991-2000 and 19th in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Medinipur is the 507th-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 Medinipur has become more connected. Medinipur ranked 368th in 1975, 601st in 1976-1990, 557th in 1991-2000 and 507th in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Medinipur had a built-up area of 10.97 square kilometers, and a population of 172435 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: