Street-network Sprawl in Hyderabad, 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.

Hyderabad: city in Sind, 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 Hyderabad, Pakistan on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Hyderabad as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 1.74, which is relatively well-connected.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are 1.65, 2.03, 2.2 and 1.59. Street construction in Hyderabad 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 Hyderabad spans a total of 1244 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed prior to 1975. These roads have an SNDi of 1.65, 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 1.65, 1.77, 1.77 and 1.74. The aggregate street network in Hyderabad increased in disconnectivity initially,but the trend has turned around after 1990.

Hyderabad and Sind 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 Hyderabad fare in comparison to others in Sind? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Hyderabad was the 16th-most disconnected out of the 36 cities in Sind. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Sind, street construction in Hyderabad has become more connected. Hyderabad ranked 11th in 1975, 11th in 1976-1990, 5th in 1991-2000 and 16th in 2001-2014.

Hyderabad 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 Hyderabad fare in comparison to others in Pakistan? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Hyderabad was the 102nd-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 Hyderabad has become more connected. Hyderabad ranked 89th in 1975, 102nd in 1976-1990, 64th in 1991-2000 and 102nd in 2001-2014.

Hyderabad and Sind do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi in Hyderabad peaked in 1976-1990, while the SNDi of street constructions in Sind rose steadily.

To date, Hyderabad is the 17th-most disconnected out of the 36 cities in Sind. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Sind, the street network in Hyderabad has become more connected. Hyderabad ranked 11th in 1975, 16th in 1976-1990, 16th in 1991-2000 and 17th in 2001-2014.

Hyderabad and Pakistan do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi in Hyderabad peaked in 1976-1990, while the SNDi of street constructions in Pakistan rose steadily.

To date, Hyderabad is the 135th-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 Hyderabad has become more connected. Hyderabad ranked 89th in 1975, 125th in 1976-1990, 128th in 1991-2000 and 135th in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Hyderabad had a built-up area of 17.6 square kilometers, and a population of 1835125 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population:

For some related information about population, urban extent and density, and roads, visit the Atlas of Urban Expansion.