A Spatial Analysis of Road Density and Socio- Economic Development in Rudrapur City: A GIS Based Analysis

Abstract

Transportation plays a pivotal role in shaping the political, economic, and social well-being of any region by enhancing accessibility and connectivity. The present study examines the spatial relationship between road density and the level of socio-economic development across 40 municipal wards of Rudrapur City, Uttarakhand. Using high-resolution satellite imagery from Google Earth, the city’s road network was digitized and categorized into major and minor roads in QGIS v.3.16 software. Ward-wise Road density was calculated per square kilometre and per thousand population based on digitized road network data, while socio-economic development was assessed using nine demographic and infrastructural indicators through a composite Z-score index. The analysis reveals marked intra-urban disparities in both road density and socio-economic development across the city’s 40 municipal wards. Central wards exhibit moderate to high road density, whereas peripheral and industrial wards show lower density but relatively higher per capita road availability. Correlation analysis indicates a significant positive relationship between road density and population density, while significant negative relationships are observed with street lighting and drainage length, reflecting uneven infrastructure provisioning. Other socio-economic variables show weak or insignificant associations with road density. The findings highlight that increased road density alone does not ensure balanced socio-economic development and underscore the need for integrated urban infrastructure planning. The study demonstrates the usefulness of GIS-based spatial analysis in identifying infrastructural inequalities and supporting sustainable urban development strategies in rapidly growing medium-sized cities.