Assessment of Land Use Efficiencies of Ghanaian Cities: Case Study of Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolis

Abstract

Urban land use efficiency is a key indicator of the resilience of a city and its sustainability. However, in Africa and Ghana, information on land use efficiency in cities is lacking. There is little to no understanding as to how urban development is affecting the lives of people, the economy and the environment. In this study, geospatial techniques were used to estimate urban land use efficiency (LUE), the changes in the built-up area per capita and urban sprawl speed (SS) for the Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolitan area. Multi-temporal land use maps and population data were used for this purpose. The results indicate that generally land use efficiency in the city has improved since 2002, from a value of 0.67 between 2002 and 2008 to 0.88 between 2008 and 2016, and that it deteriorated slightly above one (1) between 2016 and 2021. The city has also become more built up over the period, with the rate of sprawling also declining. However, the study shows that land in the city that was either agricultural land or grassland has been converted to built-up land use/land cover, which is indeed a challenge for urban agriculture. The results of this study can be used by city authorities as a guide to urban development.