The level of street-network sprawl in new development in Esmeraldas followed a zig-zag trend with an overall decrease. To get a sense of how street development has changed in Esmeraldas, we can consider three of its most populous cities: Esmeraldas, Barrio Codesa and Quinindé. Out of the three cities, Quinindé does not follow the same trend as the region. The level of street-network sprawl in new development in Quinindé peaked in 1976-1990.

How do development practices in Esmeraldas fare in comparison to others in Ecuador? Most recently in 2006-2020, street construction in Esmeraldas was the 13th-most disconnected out of the 19 regions in Ecuador. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has risen; relative to other regions in Ecuador, street construction in Esmeraldas has become more disconnected. Esmeraldas ranked 15th in 1975, 15th in 1976-1990, 13th in 1991-2005 and 13th in 2006-2020.

As of 2020, the city with the most disconnected street network in Esmeraldas is Esmeraldas with an SNDi of 3.74, which is relatively sprawly. Conversely, the most connected city is Quinindé with an SNDi of 2.66, which is relatively well-connected. See trends for these cities: Quinindé, Esmeraldas

The level of street-network sprawl in the aggregate network in Esmeraldas peaked in 1976-1990. To get a sense of how the aggregate street network has changed in Esmeraldas, we can consider three of its most populous cities: Esmeraldas, Barrio Codesa and Quinindé. Out of the three cities, Barrio Codesa does not follow the same trend as the region. The level of street-network sprawl in the aggregate network in Barrio Codesa followed a zig-zag trend with an overall increase.

To date, Esmeraldas is the 16th-most disconnected out of the 19 regions in Ecuador. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other regions in Ecuador, the street network in Esmeraldas has become more connected. Esmeraldas ranked 15th in 1975, 14th in 1976-1990, 16th in 1991-2005 and 16th in 2006-2020.