Indicator-based assessment of the liveability of communities in the Accra Metropolitan Area, Ghana: A transdisciplinary approach

Local knowledge of spatiotemporal patterns of liveability is vital for choosing where to live and where revitalisation efforts must concentrate. We employed transdisciplinary learning to identify 12 liveability indicators and applied them to assess the liveability of 81 communities of Accra, Ghana....

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Main Authors: Alex Barimah Owusu, Collins Adjei Mensah, Iris Ekua Mensimah Fynn, Clement Kwang, Isaac Kwamena Arthur, Kofi Adu-Boahen
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2023-01-01
Series:Social Sciences and Humanities Open
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2590291123003078
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author Alex Barimah Owusu
Collins Adjei Mensah
Iris Ekua Mensimah Fynn
Clement Kwang
Isaac Kwamena Arthur
Kofi Adu-Boahen
author_facet Alex Barimah Owusu
Collins Adjei Mensah
Iris Ekua Mensimah Fynn
Clement Kwang
Isaac Kwamena Arthur
Kofi Adu-Boahen
author_sort Alex Barimah Owusu
collection DOAJ
description Local knowledge of spatiotemporal patterns of liveability is vital for choosing where to live and where revitalisation efforts must concentrate. We employed transdisciplinary learning to identify 12 liveability indicators and applied them to assess the liveability of 81 communities of Accra, Ghana. The results show that crime and rent are the top two most important liveability indicators. The least three indicators are the availability of jobs, entertainment, and flood susceptibility. Out of 81 communities grouped into five quantiles, ten fell in the 1st quantile (most liveable), 24 communities were in the 2nd quantile, 3rd had 24, 4th 17, and 5th nine communities respectively as least liveable. 1st quantile communities are mainly high-income communities, whiles 5th quantile communities are mainly middle-income communities that have become commercial areas. Not surprisingly, high-income communities like the Airport residential area, East Legon, and Dzorwolu all fall into the 2nd quantile as all these communities are gradually turning into mixed commercial and residential places. The study indicates that low-income communities lack social amenities and resources, which can be attributed to a lack of state social intervention policies. This may mean local administration systems (district assemblies) failing as Ghana's development agents.
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spelling doaj.art-cc53c790b3d14aa68a4bfa4b916f04022023-12-28T05:19:34ZengElsevierSocial Sciences and Humanities Open2590-29112023-01-0181100702Indicator-based assessment of the liveability of communities in the Accra Metropolitan Area, Ghana: A transdisciplinary approachAlex Barimah Owusu0Collins Adjei Mensah1Iris Ekua Mensimah Fynn2Clement Kwang3Isaac Kwamena Arthur4Kofi Adu-Boahen5Department of Geography and Resource Development, University of Ghana, Legon, GhanaDepartment of Geography and Regional Planning, University of Cape Coast, GhanaDepartment of Geography and Resource Development, University of Ghana, Legon, GhanaDepartment of Geography and Resource Development, University of Ghana, Legon, GhanaDepartment of Geography and Resource Development, University of Ghana, Legon, GhanaDepartment of Geography Education, University of Education, Winneba, Ghana; Corresponding author.Local knowledge of spatiotemporal patterns of liveability is vital for choosing where to live and where revitalisation efforts must concentrate. We employed transdisciplinary learning to identify 12 liveability indicators and applied them to assess the liveability of 81 communities of Accra, Ghana. The results show that crime and rent are the top two most important liveability indicators. The least three indicators are the availability of jobs, entertainment, and flood susceptibility. Out of 81 communities grouped into five quantiles, ten fell in the 1st quantile (most liveable), 24 communities were in the 2nd quantile, 3rd had 24, 4th 17, and 5th nine communities respectively as least liveable. 1st quantile communities are mainly high-income communities, whiles 5th quantile communities are mainly middle-income communities that have become commercial areas. Not surprisingly, high-income communities like the Airport residential area, East Legon, and Dzorwolu all fall into the 2nd quantile as all these communities are gradually turning into mixed commercial and residential places. The study indicates that low-income communities lack social amenities and resources, which can be attributed to a lack of state social intervention policies. This may mean local administration systems (district assemblies) failing as Ghana's development agents.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2590291123003078LiveabilityIndicator-based assessmentAccra metropolitan areaTransdisciplinary approach
spellingShingle Alex Barimah Owusu
Collins Adjei Mensah
Iris Ekua Mensimah Fynn
Clement Kwang
Isaac Kwamena Arthur
Kofi Adu-Boahen
Indicator-based assessment of the liveability of communities in the Accra Metropolitan Area, Ghana: A transdisciplinary approach
Social Sciences and Humanities Open
Liveability
Indicator-based assessment
Accra metropolitan area
Transdisciplinary approach
title Indicator-based assessment of the liveability of communities in the Accra Metropolitan Area, Ghana: A transdisciplinary approach
title_full Indicator-based assessment of the liveability of communities in the Accra Metropolitan Area, Ghana: A transdisciplinary approach
title_fullStr Indicator-based assessment of the liveability of communities in the Accra Metropolitan Area, Ghana: A transdisciplinary approach
title_full_unstemmed Indicator-based assessment of the liveability of communities in the Accra Metropolitan Area, Ghana: A transdisciplinary approach
title_short Indicator-based assessment of the liveability of communities in the Accra Metropolitan Area, Ghana: A transdisciplinary approach
title_sort indicator based assessment of the liveability of communities in the accra metropolitan area ghana a transdisciplinary approach
topic Liveability
Indicator-based assessment
Accra metropolitan area
Transdisciplinary approach
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2590291123003078
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