Urbanization and Intensive use of Space in Central Business District in a Developing City, Ghana: Decongestion Programme as City Service Response; an Appraisal.

Abstract

The urban space in developing cities is overutilized; especially within the Central Business Districts (CBDs). That has led to congestion of the CBDs which poses major challenges in management of developing cities. Many city managers have been searching for appropriate strategies to address that menace. One popular approach for addressing the challenge is the formulation and the implementation of decongesting policies. This study attempted to assess the success level of decongesting a developing city. The study revealed that many people affected by various decongesting exercises returned to the same space they occupied before the exercise. Some reasons behind the trend were investigated as the operators being informal sector entrepreneurs who do not have adequate capital to rent stores for commercial activities elsewhere in the city. These actors also prefer operating at areas where business is brisk for that matter they converge at the city centre where business is brisk. Another factor is the non involvement of the stakeholders in formulation and implementation of decongesting policies thereby creating room for resistance from the encroachers. Again, the managers have failed to consider decongestion as a process not an event. That has led to the formulation of short term policies and plans for addressing the challenge. Having examined the major factors affecting decongestion, it has been concluded that, for that exercise to be successful, it would be appropriate for city managers to involve stakeholders in formulating and implementing holistic long term plan for addressing the challenge.

Key words: Decongestion, Encroacher, Urban Space, Pedestrian, Stakeholder