Kumasi, Ghana.

Urban expansion in Kumasi

It has been found that the pattern of urban dispersal in Kumasi (Ghana) has so far not been linked with transportation growth.

The metropolitan area of Kumasi (Ghana) has expanded significantly in recent years, a result of demands for land by an expanding middle class, and through the traditional land management structures embedded in the institution of chieftaincy.

Home to nearly 1.2 million people and representing a third of the regional population, Kumasi incorporates several pre-existing rural villages. With mass transit systems all over Ghana considered to be under-developed, any commuter services available are managed by private sector transport unions, operating low-capacity buses and taxis. 48 percent of all vehicles in the city, in fact, are taxis.

Results of transportation expansion not linked to urban grown have resulted in travel times of between 45 minutes to one hour, and land values being lowered the further away they are from established road networks.

Recommendations have been made to Kumasi city officials to focus not only on improving transportation infrastructure, but also to strengthen land management structures.

Urban form – in particular residential and employment densities – influence local energy consumption. Cities with higher population densities can take advantage of efficient ways to distribute energy and heat, and utilize transportation modes that are more energy-efficient and produce fewer carbon dioxide emissions. For more information, please visit www.iclei.org/ccp.

Kumasi is one of 37 local governments in Africa that are currently Members of ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability. For more information on ICLEI and its activities in Africa, please visit www.iclei.org/africa.

Source: “Transportation and physical development around Kumasi, Ghana”, International Journal of Social Sciences, November 2006.