Street-network Sprawl in Hetauda, Nepal

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.

Hetauda: city in Central, Nepal

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 Hetauda, Nepal on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Hetauda as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 2.81, which is in the 40th to 60th percentile of disconnectedness.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are 3.84, 2.65, 1.82 and 3.95. The disconnectivity of new streets constructed in Hetauda fell, then rose. In 1991-2000, new street layouts were the most connected.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Hetauda spans a total of 94 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed in 1976-1990. These roads have an SNDi of 2.65, 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 3.84, 2.87, 2.7 and 2.81. The SNDi of the aggregate street network in fell at first, but Hetauda has worsened in disconnectivity since 2000.

Hetauda and Central do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi in Hetauda was at its lowest in 1991-2000, while the SNDi of street constructions in Central was at its lowest in 1976-1990.

How do development practices in Hetauda fare in comparison to others in Central? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Hetauda was the 2nd-most disconnected out of the 4 cities in Central. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Central, street construction in Hetauda has become more connected. Hetauda ranked 1st in 1975, 3rd in 1976-1990, 4th in 1991-2000 and 2nd in 2001-2014.

Hetauda and Nepal do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi in Hetauda was at its lowest in 1991-2000, while the SNDi of street constructions in Nepal was at its lowest in 1976-1990.

How do development practices in Hetauda fare in comparison to others in Nepal? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Hetauda was the 2nd-most disconnected out of the 12 cities in Nepal. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Nepal, street construction in Hetauda has become more connected. Hetauda ranked 1st in 1975, 6th in 1976-1990, 9th in 1991-2000 and 2nd in 2001-2014.

Hetauda and Central do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi in Hetauda was at its lowest in 1991-2000, while the SNDi of street constructions in Central rose steadily.

To date, Hetauda is the 3rd-most disconnected out of the 4 cities in Central. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Central, the street network in Hetauda has become more connected. Hetauda ranked 1st in 1975, 3rd in 1976-1990, 3rd in 1991-2000 and 3rd in 2001-2014.

Hetauda and Nepal do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi in Hetauda was at its lowest in 1991-2000, while the SNDi of street constructions in Nepal rose steadily.

To date, Hetauda is the 4th-most disconnected out of the 12 cities in Nepal. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Nepal, the street network in Hetauda has become more connected. Hetauda ranked 1st in 1975, 4th in 1976-1990, 4th in 1991-2000 and 4th in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Hetauda had a built-up area of 0.91 square kilometers, and a population of 77911 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: