From open spaces to adapted spaces – The politics of managing green areas in Kumasi, Ghana.

Abstract

Kumasi, Ghana’s second largest city was accorded the accolade ‘Garden city of West Africa’ due to its beautiful green areas. Today, the city has lost its accolade owing to poor management of these ‘green areas’. This paper examines the processes, network of actors, alliances and challenges involved in managing, conserving and preserving open spaces in Kumasi. The paper further explores the current trends and changing uses of open spaces and identifies the key stakeholders involved and the dynamics of their ‘stakes’. Using a case study research design, the study draws on multiple qualitative methods to gather evidence including: document review, institutional consultations, key informant interviews and field observations. The paper reveals rapid changes of reserved spaces into adapted spaces explained by three processes - encroachments, change of use, and lack of use and abandonment.

Central to these three processes are: complex state institutional framework, customary and communal ownership structure, and conflicts in management between city and customary institutions.