Street-network Sprawl in Gojra, 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.

Gojra: city in Punjab, 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 Gojra, Pakistan on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Gojra as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 3.06, 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 2.48, 2.74, 5.79 and 4.05. Street construction in Gojra increased in disconnectivity initially but has since improved. The streets constructed in 1991-2000 were the most disconnected.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Gojra spans a total of 257 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed in 2001-2014. These roads have an SNDi of 4.05, 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 2.48, 2.58, 2.69 and 3.06. Overall, the SNDi of the aggregate street network has risen: the street network in Gojra has become more disconnected.

Gojra and Punjab follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi for both of these peaked in 1991-2000.

How do development practices in Gojra fare in comparison to others in Punjab? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Gojra was the 22nd-most disconnected out of the 99 cities in Punjab. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Punjab, street construction in Gojra has become more connected. Gojra ranked 21st in 1975, 37th in 1976-1990, 7th in 1991-2000 and 22nd in 2001-2014.

Gojra and Pakistan follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi for both of these peaked in 1991-2000.

How do development practices in Gojra fare in comparison to others in Pakistan? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Gojra was the 44th-most disconnected 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 Gojra has become more disconnected. Gojra ranked 64th in 1975, 77th in 1976-1990, 16th in 1991-2000 and 44th in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Gojra is the 25th-most disconnected out of the 99 cities in Punjab. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Punjab, the street network in Gojra has become more connected. Gojra ranked 21st in 1975, 36th in 1976-1990, 33rd in 1991-2000 and 25th in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Gojra is the 75th-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 Gojra has become more connected. Gojra ranked 64th in 1975, 87th in 1976-1990, 86th in 1991-2000 and 75th in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Gojra had a built-up area of 5.01 square kilometers, and a population of 134726 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: