Containerisation, Portable Architecture and the Image of Ghanaian Cities

Abstract

The gains of the urban development strategies have served as pull factors of rural dwellers to the urban centres with negative consequent effect on urban open spaces and corridors in most Ghanaian cities. Owing to the lack of formal employment opportunities, any available space in the cities of Ghana has been taken over by emigrants and residents who hawk around the urban spatial corridors and eventually build Container structures (container architecture) to carry out their commercial activities in more permanent manner. Through a mixed methods and strategies, seven major cities and eight other settlements were explored to better understand and appreciate the spatial and regulatory requirements for planning and design of Container  for use in a city/built environment and the design of Containers in Ghanaian socio-cultural and socio-economic milieu. Amongst the key findings is that Ghanaian city-authorities have commoditised the container structures through official registrations for daily collection of fees/taxes without making containerization processes as part of the overall regional/national planning and physical development strategies.

Keywords: Architecture, Containerisation, Ephemeralization, Container structures, Commoditisation, Ghanaian cities.