Street-network Sprawl in Topi, Pakistan

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.

Topi: city in N.W.F.P., Pakistan

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 Topi, Pakistan on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Topi as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 4.36, which is highly disconnected.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are 3.56, 4.12, 8.53 and nan. Data was not available in 2001-2014.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Topi spans a total of 78 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed prior to 1975. These roads have an SNDi of 3.56, 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 3.56, 3.76, 4.37 and 4.36. The aggregate street network in Topi increased in disconnectivity initially,but the trend has turned around after 2000.

Topi and N.W.F.P. do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. There was not enough data from the city, while the SNDi of street constructions in N.W.F.P. followed a zig-zag trend with an overall increase.

How do development practices in Topi fare in comparison to others in N.W.F.P.? out of the 41 cities in N.W.F.P.. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has risen; relative to other cities in N.W.F.P., street construction in Topi has become more disconnected. Topi ranked 15th in 1975, 17th in 1976-1990 and 3rd in 1991-2000. There was no ranking in 2001-2014 due to unavailable data.

Topi and Pakistan do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. There was not enough data from the city, while the SNDi of street constructions in Pakistan peaked in 1991-2000.

How do development practices in Topi fare in comparison to others in Pakistan? out of the 198 cities in Pakistan. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has risen; relative to other cities in Pakistan, street construction in Topi has become more disconnected. Topi ranked 35th in 1975, 32nd in 1976-1990 and 7th in 1991-2000. There was no ranking in 2001-2014 due to unavailable data.

Topi and N.W.F.P. do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi in Topi peaked in 1991-2000, while the SNDi of street constructions in N.W.F.P. was at its lowest in 1976-1990.

To date, Topi is the 18th-most disconnected out of the 41 cities in N.W.F.P.. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in N.W.F.P., the street network in Topi has become more connected. Topi ranked 15th in 1975, 20th in 1976-1990, 18th in 1991-2000 and 18th in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Topi is the 38th-most disconnected out of the 198 cities in Pakistan. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Pakistan, the street network in Topi has become more connected. Topi ranked 35th in 1975, 42nd in 1976-1990, 37th in 1991-2000 and 38th in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Topi had a built-up area of 3.04 square kilometers, and a population of 123668 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: