Rapid urbanization at the fringe of cities in Africa poses a great challenge to the sustainability of livelihoods in peri-urban areas. Urban expansion in these areas destroys agricultural land, which represents the major asset for peri-urban inhabitants. In Accra, Ghana variations in neighborhood characteristics such as income, employment status, rates of urbanization and gender differences across neighborhoods suggest that the impacts of urbanization on peri-urban livelihoods are likely to vary by gender and neighborhood context. Little research has been done, however, to explore the disaggregated impacts of urbanization on livelihoods - a gap this research aims to fill. The doctoral dissertation research project uses multiple methods (remote sensing, GIS and multivariate statistics) in conjunction with a sustainable livelihood framework to explore the dynamics between urbanization and peri-urban livelihoods. The project asks the following questions: (1) What is the rate of change in urbanization for selected neighborhoods of Accra between 1995 and 2005; (2) What are the effects of these changes on the livelihoods of women and men and on different neighborhoods?; and (3) What coping strategies do people employ to deal with livelihood changes, and how do these differ by gender and neighborhood context? Remote sensing analysis will provide data on urban expansion at the neighborhood scale. Household interviews with female and male peri-urban inhabitants will provide data on livelihood sources, strategies, outcomes, and constraints and how these have changed with urbanization. The findings of the project will show the extent of urban expansion in peri-urban Accra, its impacts on males and females in different neighborhoods, and the measures employed to offset negative outcomes of urbanization on livelihoods. The investigators anticipate that neighborhoods with higher urbanization rates, low-socio-economic status and less social network support will experience more adverse effects of urbanization on livelihoods.
This project represents the first attempt to systematically document urbanization rates at the local level and evaluate the gender and neighborhood disaggregated impacts of urbanization on livelihoods in Accra using a multi-technique approach. The research will build on recent attempts to understand the dynamic relationships between the urbanization process and livelihoods at the peri-urban fringe and how it applies in the African context. The research will contribute directly to shaping policies related to peri-urban livelihoods by helping policy makers, planners and developers/builders to understand the negative impacts of urbanization on peri-urban livelihoods. The study will also provide peri-urban residents with the necessary information on the extent to which urbanization affects their livelihoods; this information will empower them to take the necessary action to offset unnecessary expansion into their areas. Finally, the research will contribute to the development of regulatory priorities by identifying neighborhoods and people who are more susceptible to livelihood changes.
