Green space depletion in Ghana’s Urban Settlements: a case of Kumasi

Loading...
Thumbnail Image
Date
2015-04-15
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Abstract
Green spaces constitute an integral part of an urban environment. Unfortunately, Kumasi, Ghana‘s second largest and fastest growing city and the ―Garden City of West Africa‖ has lost much of its green spaces over time. Various human activities created in the city in an attempt to attain a higher level of development have led to the depletion of its green spaces. Green spaces are constantly being lost to other land uses such as residential, educational and circulatory and little is being done to remedy the situation. The study sought to give a broad discussion on the causes of green space depletion in Ghanaian urban settlements with particular reference to Kumasi and propose pragmatic measures to ameliorate the situation. The study adapted the case study approach and utilized publications that related to urban green spaces in Ghana and Africa. The study also made use of the consultative approach in order to have diverse views on the research topic. The data gathered were edited and coded. They were then analysed using statistical software known as Statistical Package for So cial Scientist (SPSS) version 16. Some of the major findings of the study were that, green space depletion in Kumasi is caused by factors such as: high land rent for other land uses, laxity in the enforcement of development controls and low priority to green spaces by city authorities. The study also proposed among other measures that there should be an intensive public education on the benefits of urban green spaces in the City. The general public and all stakeholders of urban green space should put in a concerted effort towards the preservation of the green spaces in the City to restore its ―Garden City‖ image.
Description
A thesis submitted to the School of Graduate Studies, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the degree of Master of Science in Development Planning and Management.
Keywords
Citation