Accra’s growth reflects mixed city patterns and poor planning alignment

Audio By Carbonatix

Dr David Ofosu-Dorte, Senior Partner at AB & David Law Africa, says Accra’s expansion reflects a mix of urban planning models that have not been properly coordinated, contributing to congestion and infrastructure challenges.

Speaking at the JoyNews Amalgam of Professional Bodies Speaker Series on managing cities for economic development, he explained that cities typically grow through radial, grid and linear patterns, but Accra exhibits all three in an unstructured way.

“You will find that Accra appears to have all forms of the three types of development,” he said.

He noted that areas such as James Town represent radial development, while planned communities like Tema reflect grid systems, and highway-linked expansion shows linear growth.

According to him, the absence of coherent spatial planning has led to congestion, particularly along major transport corridors.

He said the mismatch between planning systems and actual development patterns continues to shape Ghana’s urban challenges.

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Accra

David Ofosu-Dorte

poor planning