AN INVESTIGATION OF THE CAUSES AND CONSEQUENCES OF INFORMAL SETTLEMENT PLANNING IN GHANA (A CASE STUDY OF ABOABO, KUMASI METROPOLIS, GHANA)
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background of the Study
The land is a basic natural resource that man requires to survive. However, research indicates that the world’s land-man ratio has decreased as a result of factors such as unplanned settlements and increased population pressure on previously conserved lands. In emerging countries, the poor and disadvantaged occupy a large portion of urban land. They discovered that urban land-use planning is critical in shaping a city; without proper planning, a city may grow uncontrollably as a result of population, socioeconomic, and environmental changes. According to the Food and Agricultural Organization [FAO] (1993 p.6), “urban land-use planning is the systematic assessment of land and water potential, alternatives for land use, and economic and social conditions in order to select and adopt the best land-use options”. The goal of land-use planning is to identify and implement land-use practices that will best meet people’s needs while conserving resources for the future. The driving force in planning is thus the need for change, improved management, and a different pattern of land use dictated by changing circumstances (FAO, 1993). Land-use planning can be defined as the scientific, aesthetic, and orderly disposition of land, its resources, facilities, and services with the goal of ensuring urban communities’ physical, economic, and social efficiency, health, and well-being. Agenda 21 of the 1992 World Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro emphasized the significance of land-use planning in natural resource management (Amler et al.).
al., 1999). Better urban land-use planning, according to Mcmanus (2005), benefits local and national goals such as sanitation, better health conditions, wealth creation, better transportation networks, congestion avoidance, and the sustainability of natural resources such as rivers.
Ghana has developed measures to control and regulate the use of land resources over the years in order to achieve harmonious physical development. Various ordinances have been enacted since 1892 to provide for the machinery and procedures for physical development. For example, the Town Ordinance of1892 (cap 86) was passed to “regulate the development of towns and promote public health”. Its provision was aimed at regulating the siting and construction of individual structures, as well as promoting public health, particularly sanitation, within Gold Coast Colony settlements. Similarly, the Mining Health Areas Ordinance of 1925 regulated public health, layouts, and private building control in mining settlements. This was followed by the Town and Country Planning Ordinance of 1945 (cap 84), which established the Town and Country Planning Department (TCPD) as an official and statutory government institution. The Local Government Act of 1993 (Act 462) was enacted in accordance with the Ghana Government’s decentralization policy and as part of measures to improve human settlement planning and management. This law was enacted to classify and strengthen the planning and development functions delegated to District Assemblies (Republic of Ghana, 1993). Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Assemblies (MMDAs) were given legislative authority to make decisions. Building construction, sanitation, and environmental regulations are all governed by by-laws. They were also tasked with developing and approving planning schemes, issuing building permits, enforcing regulations, and prescribing sanctions for noncompliance with established regulations. Despite the powers of MMDAs to enforce the right or prescribed use of land, Ghana continues to elude orderly physical development of settlements, resulting in the growth of many unauthorized structures in the country. In the midst of all of these measures, it appears that they are ineffective in reducing informal settlements in Ghana, resulting in a slew of consequences for urban settlement.
1.2 Statement of the problem
As a result, Accra and Kumasi have the highest number of unauthorized structures in Ghana, as these two cities house the majority of the country’s population. The situation is even worse in Ghana’s peri-urban areas. Most researchers have observed that peri-urban growth in Sub-Saharan African countries such as Ghana is mostly unplanned, resulting in sprawling high-density areas. Indeed, some of the liabilities of unauthorized structures, such as filthy environments, congested town centers, flooding, and traffic congestion with its associated loss of productive time in traffic jams, are clear manifestations of Ghana’s 1954 spatial planning document. The question then becomes, what legacy will this generation leave to future generations in terms of development and uneconomic use of environmental resources? According to a German Technical Cooperation report on the importance of proper town and city planning (Amoah, 2006), flooding in many cities and towns in the country, including Kumasi, was caused by unauthorized structure development. According to Adomako (2009), unauthorized structures contributed to the fire that engulfed the Kumasi Central Market in June 2009. The author emphasized that the unauthorized structures made direct access to the affected area difficult for fire service personnel. Some unauthorized structures had to be demolished before access could be gained. As a result, this study seeks to investigate the causes and consequences of unauthorized structures in Aboabo, a suburb of Kumasi Metropolis.
1.3 Objective of the Study
The study’s main goal is to look into the causes and consequences of unauthorized structures in Aboabo, a Kumasi suburb. The study specifically seeks:
1. To investigate residents’ perceptions of land-use planning in the Abaobo district of Kumasi Metropolis.
2. To look into what motivates people to live in illegal structures.
3. Determine the issue that city residents face as a result of unauthorized structures.
1.4 Research Hypothesis
HO1: The residents of Abaobo in Kumasi Metropolis’ perceptions of land-use planning are ignorant of the consequences of informal planning.
H11: Residents’ perceptions of land-use planning in Abaobo, Kumasi Metropolis, are not based on ignorance of the consequences of informal planning.
HO2: Informal Settlement Planning has had no significant consequences in Kumasi Metropolis, Ghana.
H12: Informal Settlement Planning has significant consequences in Kumasi Metropolis, Ghana.
1.5 Significance of the Study
The study is informed by the growth of unauthorized structures, which has become a problem in sub-urban Kumasi and throughout Ghana. The study, it is hoped, will raise public awareness of the existence of institutional arrangements for land-use planning, as well as the various challenges that have prevented land planning and management institutions in Kumasi and elsewhere in the country from performing satisfactorily. It is also hoped that the study will aid in unraveling the factors that have influenced people’s minds to frown upon planning regulations, prompting them to erect unauthorized structures in Ghana’s urban areas. These will assist planning authorities and policymakers in making informed decisions to prevent the erection of unauthorized structures at Aboabo and elsewhere. elsewhere in Ghana. Furthermore, it is hoped that the study’s findings will contribute to existing knowledge of urban land-use planning and serve as a foundation for future research into issues involving unauthorized structures, particularly in Ghana’s urban areas.
1.6 Scope of the Study
The purpose of this research is to investigate the causes and consequences of informal settlement planning in Ghana. However, the study is limited to Aboabo, Kumasi Metropolis, Ghana.
1.7 Limitation of the study
The following factors are proposed as limitations during the course of this research. Financial constraints can make it difficult for researchers to find relevant materials, literature, or information, as well as collect data (internet, questionnaire, and interview). In terms of time, the researcher will conduct this study alongside other academic work. As a result, the time spent researching is reduced. However, the researcher tried their hardest to make this research a success.
1.8 Definition of Term
Land-Use Planning: Land-use planning is the process by which a central authority regulates the use of land. Typically, this is done to promote more desirable social and environmental outcomes, as well as more efficient resource use.
Unauthorized Structures: Illegal structures are those built without a building permit, those that violate the easement laws of three meters from the sidewalk, or structures that endanger the public.
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