The level of street-network sprawl in new development in Northern was at its lowest in 1991-2005. To get a sense of how street development has changed in Northern, we can consider three of its most populous cities: Tamale, Yendi and Bimbilla. Out of the three cities, Tamale does not follow the same trend as the region. The level of street-network sprawl in new development in Tamale followed a zig-zag trend with an overall increase.

How do development practices in Northern fare in comparison to others in Ghana? Most recently in 2006-2020, street construction in Northern was the 2nd-most disconnected out of the 14 regions in Ghana. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has risen; relative to other regions in Ghana, street construction in Northern has become more disconnected. Northern ranked 7th in 1975, 4th in 1976-1990, 3rd in 1991-2005 and 2nd in 2006-2020.

As of 2020, the city with the most disconnected street network in Northern is Bimbilla with an SNDi of 3.33, which is moderately connected. Conversely, the most connected city is Gushiegu with an SNDi of 1.03, which is very well-connected. See trends for these cities: Gushiegu, Bimbilla

The level of street-network sprawl in the aggregate network in Northern was at its lowest in 1991-2005. To get a sense of how the aggregate street network has changed in Northern, we can consider three of its most populous cities: Tamale, Yendi and Bimbilla. Out of the three cities, Tamale and Bimbilla do not follow the same trend as the region. The level of street-network sprawl in the aggregate network in Tamale rose steadily. The level of street-network sprawl in the aggregate network in Bimbilla fell steadily.

To date, Northern is the 3rd-most disconnected out of the 14 regions in Ghana. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has risen; relative to other regions in Ghana, the street network in Northern has become more disconnected. Northern ranked 7th in 1975, 5th in 1976-1990, 4th in 1991-2005 and 3rd in 2006-2020.