Residential segregation of ethnic minorities and sustainable city development. Case of Kumasi, Ghana

Abstract

The influx of people of different sociocultural and ethnic background affects the composition of the city in ways that go beyond the conventional disaggregation by age, sex and income. The paper examines (i) the nature and patterns of residential segregation of ethnic minorities, (ii) the factors and processes underlying the locational choice of ethnic minorities, and (iii) the knowledge or perception on dimensions and effects of ethnic residential segregation on sustainable city development. This paper uses two migrant communities – Aboabo and Asawase – in Kumasi, Ghana's fastest growing city as case studies. The study adopts household surveys, focus group discussions, secondary data and agency interviews to achieve the objectives of the research. Findings of the paper generally show that even in highly dense populated and multi-ethnic neighbourhoods, some levels of clustering are possible for several reasons. The existence of migrant communities has both positive and adverse implications on environmental, social and economic sustainability of the city. There is however no urban planning or management regime in place to harness the potentials of such neighbourhoods for sustainable city development.