Assessment of Land Use Efficiencies and Sustainability of Ghanaian Cities: Case Study of Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolis

Abstract

Urban land use efficiency is a key indicator of the resilience of a city and its sustainability. However, in Africa and Ghana, information on land use efficiency of cities is lacking. There is little to no understanding on how urban development is affecting lives of people, the economy and the environment. In this study, geospatial techniques were used to estimate urban land use efficiency (LUE), changes in built-up area per capita and urban sprawl speed for the Sekondi-Takoradi metropolitan area, using multi-temporal land use maps and population data. The results indicate that generally land use efficiency in the city has improved since 2002, from a value of 0.67 between 2002 and 2008 to 0.88 between 2008 and 2016 and deteriorating slightly above 1, between 2016 and 2021. The city has also become denser over the period and the rate at which sprawling is occurring has also reduced, an indication that sustainability of the city is increasing with increasing population. However, the study shows that land which was either agricultural land or grasslands in the city has been converted to built-up, which is a challenge for urban agriculture. It is recommended that the polycentric approach to urban development be adopted to maintain or increase the sustainability of the city as it expands further. This will need to be implemented as soon as practicable as the LUE has started to deteriorate in the last period of the study (2016 to 2021).  Results of this study can be used by city authorities as a guide to urban development.