Street-network Sprawl in Puruliya, 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.

Puruliya: 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 Puruliya, India on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Puruliya as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 1.7, which is relatively well-connected.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are 0.18, 2.34, 2.47 and 7.39. In each period, new street development in Puruliya steadily grows more disconnected than in the last.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Puruliya spans a total of 77 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed in 1976-1990. These roads have an SNDi of 2.34, 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 0.18, 1.6, 1.62 and 1.7. Overall, the SNDi of the aggregate street network has risen: the street network in Puruliya has become more disconnected. This increase has slowed: between 1975 and 1976-1990, SNDi rose by 1.41 points, but between 1991-2000 and 2001-2014, it rose by just 0.08.

Puruliya and West Bengal 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 Puruliya fare in comparison to others in West Bengal? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Puruliya was the 3rd-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 Puruliya has become more disconnected. Puruliya ranked 29th in 1975, 32nd in 1976-1990, 18th in 1991-2000 and 3rd in 2001-2014.

Puruliya 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 Puruliya fare in comparison to others in India? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Puruliya was the 33rd-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 Puruliya has become more disconnected. Puruliya ranked 765th in 1975, 635th in 1976-1990, 649th in 1991-2000 and 33rd in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Puruliya is the 46th-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 Puruliya has become more connected. Puruliya ranked 29th in 1975, 39th in 1976-1990, 41st in 1991-2000 and 46th in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Puruliya is the 1103rd-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 Puruliya has become more connected. Puruliya ranked 765th in 1975, 893rd in 1976-1990, 1007th in 1991-2000 and 1103rd in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Puruliya had a built-up area of 4.35 square kilometers, and a population of 449737 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: