Feature: Urban Sprawl - a new epidemic in Accra

Clearly, sprawl is not a phenomenon restricted to the US. Indeed, it has even breached continents. This article tells of sprawl in Accra, which is the capital of Ghana. The sprawl is growing faster than can sustaining infrastructure, and taking a quote from the article: "Urban Sprawl is the new epidemic destroying our city."

The article details all the hallmark effects of sprawl, such as pollution and heavy traffic congestion. In Africa, more occurs, such as the endangering of wildlife, and loss of arable land. In addition to the latter, it also causes movement of farming into the outskirts of the city, leading into a increased reliance on automobiles, producing further pollution. The residential area that springs up are also out of the affordability range of many, thus they move into the outskirts. The general pattern is that they congregate into specific areas, creating slums that attract more poverty.

We hear about sprawl so much but not so about solutions. This article does explain to approaches. One of them is called the "Compact City Model" which capitalizes on existing land, pedestrian convenience, and affordable housing for all. The other, called "Green Belt Strategy" which aims to contain a city in a ring of land that is reserved by official authority. I think both of these are fine ideas and there are reported success in other areas.

In conclusion, in order to obtain a better quality of life we should go back into simpler times, where planning is done for the public interest. To take another quote from the article, "Anti-sprawl is not anti-growth."

Peihsun (Ben) Yeh