New Urban Horizons in Africa Urban Locales

Meddelanden från Kulturgeografiska institutionen vid Stockholms universitet 157 Lena Fält African cities increasingly aspire global recognition and this has prompted a rapid transformation of the built environment in many New urban horizons in Africa urban locales. This thesis provides insights into this recent trend through an analysis of the processes behind contemporary land use Africa urban horizons in New A critical analysis of changing land uses in changes in the Greater Accra Region, and the consequences thereof. the Greater Accra Region, Ghana Based upon extended fieldwork, this thesis shows that a strong 'global city' ideal informs current land use changes in this city region; that the privatisation of communal land plays an important role in new urban Lena Fält interventions; and that the needs of the urban poor are largely disregarded in these processes. Importantly, however, this thesis challenges monolithic understandings of 'neoliberal' urban development and demonstrates that changing land uses in Greater Accra are governed by various spatial and political rationalities and multiple state and non-state actors. This thesis thus argues for the importance of place-based analyses of urban change and suggests that a combination of theoretical perspectives is useful to comprehend the rapid transformation of urban Africa. This thesis is highly relevant for urban policymakers and planners in Africa and beyond. Lena Fält has a master's degree in urban and regional planning from Stockholm University. This is her doctoral thesis in Human Geography. ISBN 978-91-7797-956-2 ISSN 0585-3508 Department of Human Geography Doctoral Thesis in Geography with Emphasis on Human Geography at Stockholm University, Sweden 2020 New urban horizons in Africa A critical analysis of changing land uses in the Greater Accra Region, Ghana Lena Fält Academic dissertation for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Geography with Emphasis on Human Geography at Stockholm University to be publicly defended on Friday 6 March 2020 at 10.00 in De Geersalen, Geovetenskapens hus, Svante Arrhenius väg 14. Abstract African cities increasingly aspire global recognition and this has prompted a rapid transformation of the built environment in many urban locales. This thesis provides empirical and conceptual insights into this recent trend through a critical analysis of contemporary land use changes in the Greater Accra Region, Ghana. More specifically, this thesis examines the prevailing discourses on desirable urban development amongst urban planners and policy makers in this city region; how and by whom certain city visions are integrated into the built environment; how certain marginalised groups (represented by ‘informal’ street vendors and former residents of an ‘informal settlement’) respond to dominant city visions; and the socio-spatial consequences of contemporary urban interventions. The present thesis is based upon three qualitative case studies of transforming urban areas in the Greater Accra Region. The methods used include semi-structured interviews, observations and policy analysis. Theoretically, this thesis combines critical urban theory, the governmentality perspective and post-colonial urban theory to examine different aspects of the processes behind changing land uses and their consequences. The three cases are analysed in separate papers and discussed together in a comprehensive summary. The first paper analyses the logics behind a state-led demolition of a centrally located informal settlement. The paper shows that ‘conflicting rationalities’ exist between marginalised residents of informal settlements and state actors regarding their understanding of Accra’s built environment. While the demolished settlement constituted a place of affordable housing, place-specific livelihood strategies and sociability to the former residents, state authorities perceived the neighbourhood as problematic and made use of market-driven, ‘generative’ and ‘dispositional’ rationalities to justify the demolition and make space for new urban developments. The second paper explores the everyday governance of informal street trade in Osu, a rapidly transforming inner suburb of Accra. The paper highlights the important role played by individual landowners in the regulation of street trade in public space and demonstrates that street vendors, state authorities and landowners express ambiguous attitudes on the contemporary and future presence of informal trading in Accra due to prevailing aspirations of making Accra a globally recognised city. The third paper analyses the planning and materialisation of Appolonia City, a new satellite city under construction in peri-urban Accra. The paper demonstrates that far-reaching processes of privatisation in terms of land ownership, urban planning and city management are taking place through this project. Appolonia City has been enabled by state- and traditional authorities, together with the private developer, on the basis of multiple rationalities. The paper suggests that Appolonia City will become an elite development in contrast to the project’s stated goal of social sustainability. On the basis of the aggregated findings of the three case studies, this thesis concludes that a strong ‘global city’ ideal informs contemporary urban transformation in the Greater Accra Region; that the privatisation of communal land plays a key role in enabling (new types of) urban intervention; and that the needs of the urban poor are largely disregarded in these processes. Keywords: African cities, urban redevelopment, urban informality, urban land use, urban planning, spatial governance, new cities, evictions, socio-spatial segregation, qualitative case studies, fieldwork, critical urban theory, governmentality, post-colonial urban theory, Accra, Ghana. Stockholm 2020 http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:su:diva-178276 ISBN 978-91-7797-956-2 ISBN 978-91-7797-957-9 ISSN 0585-3508 Department of Human Geography Stockholm University, 106 91 Stockholm NEW URBAN HORIZONS IN AFRICA Lena Fält New urban horizons in Africa A critical analysis of changing land uses in the Greater Accra Region, Ghana Lena Fält ©Lena Fält, Stockholm University 2020 ISBN print 978-91-7797-956-2 ISBN PDF 978-91-7797-957-9 ISSN 0585-3508 Cover illustration by Simon Mårtelius. Paper I and III are reprinted with permission from Springer and Alexandrine Press respectively. Distributor: Department of Human Geography Printed in Sweden by Universitetsservice US-AB, Stockholm 2020 Acknowledgements I want to express my sincere gratitude to the many people that have supported me throughout the writing of this thesis. First of all, I want to express my deepest appreciation to all the interviewees who shared with me their percep- tions and experiences regarding urban development in the Greater Accra Region, including the street vendors in Osu, the former residents of Mensah Guinea, state officials at various ministries and departments, politicians, traditional leaders, representatives of non-governmental organisations and employees at private urban planning and development firms. This research would not have been possible without your participation – me daase. I also wish to thank Associate Professor Charlotte Wrigley-Asante and Professor George Owusu at the Department of Geography and Resource Management, University of Ghana, for welcoming me to Accra and facilitat- ing my fieldwork in various ways. Ebenezer Forkuo Amankwaa, thank you for introducing me to the diverse socio-spatial geography of Accra and for welcoming me to your home. My deepest appreciation goes to Peter Mensah, who acted as my field assistant; you are an inspiring academic and good friend! Nafiye Bedirhanoglu, thank you for introducing me to Osu and generously allowing me to stay in your home during my first visit in Accra. Donna and Helen, thank you for making my stays at your premises joyful experiences and for helping out with all kinds of practicalities. My fieldwork in the Greater Accra Region would not have been possible without the economic support that I gratefully received from Sällskapet för Antropologi och Geografi (SSAG), the Carl Mannerfeldts fund, Lillemor and Hans W:son Ahlmanns fund, Albert och Maria Bergströms stiftelse, Stiftelsen Elisabeth och Herman Rhodins minne and Lambergs stiftelse. In Stockholm, my supervisors Ilda Lindell and Andrew Byerley at the Department of Human Geography, Stockholm University, deserve a big thank you for supporting me throughout this PhD project. This thesis would not have turned out the same without your support! Ilda, your immense knowledge, insistence on the importance of nuance and encouragement have been very valuable to me. Andrew, thank you for always having your door open, for your careful reading of all my previous drafts and, most importantly, for challeng- ing me intellectually. I also want to thank Christina Rodrigues at the Nordic Africa Institute (NAI) who acted as opponent during my half-time seminar and Amin Kamete at the School of Social and Political Science, Glasgow University, who read and commented on my work during my final seminar. Your insightful com- ments and questions have improved this work substantially. The Department of Human Geography has been a stimulating workplace throughout these years and I am grateful for the encouragement and support received from my colleagues. A special thank you goes to the SURE-group for the interesting seminars and discussions related to urban planning, governance and policy. Peter Smith, thank

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