Global urban sprawl containment strategies and their implications for rapidly urbanising cities in Ghana

Cities in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) have so far failed to sustainably address urban sprawl and its ramifications. Meanwhile, the projected increase in the urban population in the cities in SSA is expected to exacerbate the situation, making the search for sustainable solutions an urgent one. In this review, we contribute to the search for sustainable urban sprawl containment strategies through the lens of policy transfer theory. Using Ghanaian cities as examples, we argue that ‘successful sprawl containment strategies’ implemented in developed countries in the Global North can be adapted to help address sprawl in cities in SSA. In particular, the review found that strategies that promote city densification and direct the physical growth of cities are suitable for urban sprawl containment in highly urbanised cities in Ghana. Strategies that preserve farmlands and green spaces are recommended for municipalities and districts that are predominantly rural but urbanising rapidly. While we have limited the discussion to cities in Ghana, the similarities regarding land tenure practices and urbanisation dynamics (including the drivers for urban sprawl) across cities in SSA make the findings applicable to many other cities within the sub-region. However, the success of the sprawl containment strategies is tied to the ability of city authorities to address the land tenure conflicts, strengthen planning institutions, and collaborate in the efforts to contain urban sprawl. Recommendations for addressing these intractable urban planning challenges are provided in the discussion.