Unravelling the Frontiers of Urban Growth: Spatio-Temporal Dynamics of Land-Use Change and Urban Expansion in Greater Accra Metropolitan Area, Ghana

John E. K. Akubia and Antje Bruns
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John E. K. Akubia: Governance & Sustainability Lab., Faculty of Regional & Environmental Sciences, Trier University, Universitätsring 15, 54296 Trier, Germany
Antje Bruns: Governance & Sustainability Lab., Faculty of Regional & Environmental Sciences, Trier University, Universitätsring 15, 54296 Trier, Germany

Land, 2019, vol. 8, issue 9, 1-23

Abstract: This study analyzed and assessed spatio-temporal dynamics of land-use change (LUC) and urban expansion (UE) within the Greater Accra Metropolitan Area (GAMA) of Ghana. This region serves as a case to illustrate how a major economic hub and political core area is experiencing massive spatial transformations, resulting in uneven geographies of urban land expansion. Quickbird/Worldview-2 images for the years 2008 and 2017 were segmented and classified to produce LUC maps. LUC and UE were analyzed by post-classification change detection and spatial metrics, respectively. The results revealed an intensive decrease in open-space by 83.46 km 2 , brushland/farmland (194.29 km 2 ) and waterbody/wetland (3.32 km 2 ). Conversely, forestland and urban built-up area increased by 3.45 km 2 and 277.62 km 2 . Urban extent expanded from 411.45 km 2 (27%) in 2008 to 689.07 km 2 (46%) in 2017 at a rate of 5.9% and an intensity of 2.06% with an expansion coefficient of 1.5%, indicating low-density urban sprawl. The spatial pattern turned out to be an uneven and spatially differentiated outward expansion, which materialized mainly in districts located within the urban peripheries but intensely towards eastern and western directions, being the frontier and the hotspots of urbanization. Overall, the findings bear important implications for regional spatial planning and development.

Keywords: land-use change; urban expansion; peri-urbanization; Accra; remote sensing; GIS; spatial metrics (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q15 Q2 Q24 Q28 Q5 R14 R52 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (5)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jlands:v:8:y:2019:i:9:p:131-:d:261729

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