Street-network Sprawl in Sangla Hill, 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.

Sangla Hill: 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 Sangla Hill, Pakistan on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Sangla Hill as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 0.59, which is relatively well-connected.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are -0.96, 1.05, nan and 1.22. Data was not available in 1991-2000.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Sangla Hill spans a total of 66 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed in 1976-1990. These roads have an SNDi of 1.05, which is relatively well-connected.

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 -0.96, 0.53, 0.52 and 0.59. Disconnectivity in Sangla Hill's street network follows a zig-zag trend. In 1975, the city was most disconnected; while it was most connected in 2001-2014.

Sangla Hill and Punjab 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 Punjab peaked in 1991-2000.

How do development practices in Sangla Hill fare in comparison to others in Punjab? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Sangla Hill was the 61st-most disconnected out of the 99 cities in Punjab. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has risen; relative to other cities in Punjab, street construction in Sangla Hill has become more disconnected. Sangla Hill ranked 65th in 1975, 62nd in 1976-1990 and 61st in 2001-2014. There was no ranking in 1991-2000 due to unavailable data.

Sangla Hill 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 Sangla Hill fare in comparison to others in Pakistan? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Sangla Hill was the 111th-most disconnected out of the 198 cities in Pakistan. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Pakistan, street construction in Sangla Hill has become more connected. Sangla Hill ranked 126th in 1975, 129th in 1976-1990 and 111th in 2001-2014. There was no ranking in 1991-2000 due to unavailable data.

Sangla Hill and Punjab do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi in Sangla Hill followed a zig-zag trend with an overall increase, while the SNDi of street constructions in Punjab rose steadily.

To date, Sangla Hill is the 81st-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 Sangla Hill has become more connected. Sangla Hill ranked 65th in 1975, 79th in 1976-1990, 84th in 1991-2000 and 81st in 2001-2014.

Sangla Hill and Pakistan do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi in Sangla Hill followed a zig-zag trend with an overall increase, while the SNDi of street constructions in Pakistan rose steadily.

To date, Sangla Hill is the 171st-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 Sangla Hill has become more connected. Sangla Hill ranked 126th in 1975, 159th in 1976-1990, 169th in 1991-2000 and 171st in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Sangla Hill had a built-up area of 4.02 square kilometers, and a population of 112474 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: