Human-environment nexus: evaluating the anthropo-geomorphology and urban expansion of the Weija Gbawe Municipality, Ghana

Abstract

The study's overarching goal was to examine the dynamics of geomorphological interaction and their effects on the urban expansion of the Weija-Gbawe Municipality in Ghana's Greater Accra Region. The study deployed a quantitative research approach to achieve the objective. A descriptive research design was used in collecting and analyzing data from three hundred and fifty-one (351) participants with a closed-ended questionnaire. The study employed a cluster sampling technique to select the participants based on areas with high concentrations of built-ups and other areas with low concentrations. Using the important relative index (RII), the fundamental level is ranked by the index. SPSS version 26 was used to analyse the data, and the results are shown in a descriptive frequency distribution table. The findings revealed population growth in the Weija-Gbawe Municipality as the main human factor transforming the landscapes' geomorphology, as residents change the landscape for human occupation and industrial uses. Similarly, the topographical terrain, emphasizing slope and elevation were the predominant geomorphological characteristic modifying urban expansion in the Municipality, as settlements were mainly distributed on flat terrain, and the elevation and slope were significant constraints for expansion of the city. Furthermore, urban land utilization in the Weija Gbawe Municipality is distinguished by an industrialized economy and built-up facilities. The paper concludes that applying geographic information systems, remote sensing, and field surveys is essential for generating comprehensive knowledge of urban and anthropocene geomorphology; this is possible through the use of GIS and remote sensing in analyzing the land use land cover changes in the study area. The study suggests enacting, enforcing environmental by-laws, intensifying, and restructuring environmental education by various stakeholders, including the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Municipality's Physical Planning Agency (PPA). This could be done by bridging the weak linkage between land use/road planning and aborting applications received which were not in line with the planning standards and approving those that are accurate and standard.