Land use and urban travel in Kumasi, Ghana

Abstract

Globally, transport literature indicates a strong effect of land use on urban travel as people living in low density suburban areas tend to travel more by car than people living in high density urban areas. This is because in dense areas, public transport is organised more efficiently and travellers tend to travel shorter distances. However, this assertion is frequently based on locations with efficient integration of transport within the land use planning framework. In Ghana and many African countries, it remains unknown whether the effect of land use on urban travel is strong as reported in developed countries and elsewhere. This research examines the effect of land use on urban travel in Ghana using Kumasi, the second largest city in Ghana, as a case study. Simple questionnaire survey with urban residents, semi-structured interviews with agencies and secondary data analysis were used for this research. Results indicate negative effect of land use on urban travel as there has been increased congestion in all the major road arterials in the city resulting in difficulty in commuting using motorised transport. Findings further show a weak effect of land use on urban travel, as areas experiencing change of land use have poor locational accessibility. The paper recommends innovative ways of meeting the growing travel demand of residents in the city such as the development of a light rail and bus rapid transit systems to help ease congestion and improve public transportation.