A Quantitative Assessment of Relationship between Urban Green Parks and Self-Esteem of Urban Children and Adolescents (Teenage Group) in Ghana

The importance of urban green parks in sustainable urban design development has gained currency in recent times, not only because urban parks do enhance the visual image of the city, or ameliorate its harsh climatic conditions, or purify its air, but they help develop high self-esteem of children and adolescents.  The study examines the correlation between the presence of green parks and self-esteem development among urban adolescents in Kumasi, the second largest city and Accra, the largest and the capital city of Ghana as case studies. The Children and adolescents used as respondents had their ages ranging from 13 to 19 years (teenage group). Using the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale as a measure, the study revealed that the lack of green parks at Tafo (Kumasi) has significantly impacted the self-esteem of Tafo adolescents; {t (59) =13.178, P=0.000 (two-tailed)}. And, Respondents who socialize in green parks at Cantonments (Accra had high self-esteem levels, whereas respondents who have no access to green parks at Tafo (Kumasi) had low self-esteem. Keywords: Green parks, Socialization, Self-esteem, Urban, Tennage Group, Kumasi and Accra

Assessment of the resettlement compensation satisfaction of wood workers at Sokoban, Kumasi

Resettlement has been one of the strategies used to pave way for development and redevelopment of infrastructure in major cities of Ghana in the past few decades. Resettlement is usually characterized by displacement of people and their livelihoods. In Kumasi, resettlement has physicallydisplaced over 10,000 people mostly traders, in and around the Central Business District. Kumasi has undergone significant development in the past two decades in the areas of road and housing construction, resulting in the resettlement of some commercial neighborhoods including the wood merchants from Anloga to allow for the construction of the south-eastern section of the ring road from Oforikrom (Anloga) to Nhyiaeso. This study assessed the outcome of involuntary resettlement of wood merchants from Anloga to Sokoban Wood Village in terms of compensation, improvement in working space and the impact on the timber trade. The study used mixedmethods: it relied on the administration of questionnaires and interviews to gather data from respondents for analysis as well as the use of dependent sample T-test for hypothesis testing to evaluate the change in livelihood that resulted from the resettlement programme. The study revealeda significant improvement in the livelihood of the displaced workers after the resettlement.Keywords: Resettlement, Infrastructure, Compensation, Satisfaction, Livelihood

Shopping malls as catalyst for sub-urban development in Ghana

The concentration of population in major cities is usually the consequence of the concentration of employment opportunities, goods and services in such cities. These goods and services act as pull factors to the regional population, especially from the suburban or rural areas, to densely populated cities. The resulting migration creates congestion of all kinds in the cities. Suburban communities are, thus, rendered unattractive for living. This situation is prevalent in Ghana where 75% of migrants into major cities are from suburban areas and the rate of urbanization is 4.1%. Decentralizing amenities to suburban areas would initiate re-distribution of population and thus development. This study investigated the possibility of using the Shopping Mall concept as catalyst to both help develop the suburbia and decongest cities in Ghana. The West Hills Mall at Dunkonah, a suburb near Accra was selected for the study. A mixed research method including  questionnaires, interviews, and observations was used for data collection. Out of a total of 1,642 house owners 328 were sampled and interviewed with questionnaire that delved into their origins, whether they are migrants, and the reasons behind their movement. The study concluded that shopping malls could act as catalysts for development.Keywords: Shopping Malls, Catalyst, Decongestion, Suburbanization, Amenitie

Classification of large-scale environments that drive the formation of mesoscale convective systems over southern West Africa

Mesoscale convective systems (MCSs) are frequently observed over southern West Africa (SWA) throughout most of the year. These MCS events are the dominant rain-bearing systems, contributing over 50 % of annual rainfall over SWA. However, it has not yet been identified what variations in typical large-scale environments of the seasonal cycle of the West African monsoon may favour MCS occurrence in this region. Here, nine distinct synoptic states are identified and are further associated with being a synoptic-circulation type of either a dry, transition, or monsoon season using self-organizing maps (SOMs) with inputs from reanalysis data. We identified a pronounced annual cycle of MCS numbers with frequency peaks in April and October that can be associated with the start of rainfall during the major rainy season and the maximum rainfall for the minor rainy season across SWA, respectively. Comparing daily MCS frequencies, MCSs are most likely to develop during transition conditions featuring a northward-displaced moisture anomaly (2.8 MCSs per day), which can be linked to strengthened low-level westerlies. Considering that these transition conditions occur predominantly during the pre- and post-monsoon period, these patterns may in some cases be representative of monsoon onset conditions or a delayed monsoon retreat. On the other hand, under monsoon conditions, we observe weakened low-level south-westerlies during MCS days, which reduce moisture content over the Sahel but introduce more moisture over the coast. Finally, we find a majority of MCS-day synoptic states exhibiting positive zonal wind shear anomalies. Seasons with the strongest zonal wind shear anomalies are associated with the strongest low-level temperature anomalies to the north of SWA, highlighting that a warmer Sahel can promote MCS-favourable conditions in SWA. Overall, the SOM-identified synoptic states converge towards high-moisture and high-shear conditions on MCS days in SWA, where the frequency at which these conditions occur depends on the synoptic state.</p

The relevance and preferred features of green parks in Ghana: A study of Manhyia District in Kumasi

Different socio-economic characteristics of users affect preferred green park features which in turn correlate with park usage and activities. This study used questionnaires to examine firstly, the perception of the residents of Manhyia sub-metro about the relevance of green parks using the relative importance index formula and secondly, their preferred green park features since the sub-metro has made a decision to create a new green park. The study revealed that, the residents of Manhyia put a high premium on the creation of green parks, since 60.6 % of them deem green parks as very important, 28.7% as important and 9.6% as quite important. Only 1.1% opined that green parks are not important. Among the perception variables, the results showed a high perception index of 0.87 for green parks as places of relaxation and stress relief. The presence of a) water/fountains/ponds b) serene atmosphere with benches under trees, and c) play equipment for children were the three most preferred green park features by the respondents. The study also revealed that, the socio-economic backgrounds of residents are strong determinants of green park features. For green parks to be well patronized, park features should satisfy the needs of potential users. &nbsp

The presence and impact of urban road corridor commercialization on abuting buildings: The case of Ejisu, Ghana

A prevailing characteristic of the 21st century has been the high rate of urbanization of 3.6 per cent in developing countries. This rate has propelled an influx of varying commercial activities along road corridors in urban settlements. The study investigated the factors responsible for the presence of road corridor commercialization and their impacts on buildings within the corridors, using Ejisu, an urban area in Ghana, as the case. The study adopted the mixed method approach in gathering data. The findings revealed that, the factor ‘Attraction of potential buyers along the corridor’ was the primary driver, followed by ‘Consistency with tradition’. Other factors responsible for the current intensity and volume of road corridor commercialization along Ejisu’s portion of the N6 Highway included ‘Limited space within the existing market’ and ‘Cost effectiveness’. The study also showed that the influx of informal commercial activities has great influence in attracting formal commercial activities along the corridor, which in turn influenced the changes in the forms and uses of the buildings within the corridor. The study unveiled that, most of the changes in the use of buildings were from residential uses to purely commercial uses and from residential uses to mixed-use buildings. In a time of mounting housing deficit in Ghana, this finding serves as a caution to city authorities. &nbsp

The State of Architectural Heritage Preservation in Ghana: A Review

The link between past and present generations can only be maintained with effective preservation of cultural (Architectural) heritage. Architectural Heritage Preservation (AHP) is under threat in Ghana with an apparent dwindling awareness, unrelenting teardowns and destruction of historic buildings and places for other infrastructure development and spontaneous housing settlements. This paper seeks to review literature to establish the need to conduct further research on the state of architectural heritage preservation in Ghana. This research is underpinned with interpretivism and theoretically assesses the state of AHP in Ghana through review of literature. Literature reviewed revealed low publicity concerning heritage preservation, inadequate human resource responsible for heritage preservation and need to improve Ghana’s Architectural Heritage management. The study therefore recommends further research in heritage studies to ensure effective protection and preservation of Ghana’s rich architectural heritage

Potential Impact of 1.5oC and 2oC global warming on consecutive dry and wet days over West Africa

We examine the impact of +1.5 ◦C and +2 ◦C global warming levels above pre-industrial levels on consecutive dry days (CDD) and consecutive wet days (CWD), two key indicators for extreme precipitation and seasonal drought. This is done using climate projections from a multi-model ensemble of 25 regional climate model (RCM) simulations. The RCMs take boundary conditions from ten global climate models (GCMs) under the RCP8.5 scenario.We define CDD as the maximum number of consecutive days with rainfall amount less than 1mm and CWD as the maximum number of consecutive days with rainfall amount more than 1 mm. The differences in model representations of the change in CDD and CWD, at 1.5 ◦C and 2◦C global warming, and based on the control period 1971−2000 are reported. The models agree on a noticeable response to both 1.5 ◦C and 2◦C warming for each index. Enhanced warming results in a reduction in mean rainfall across the region.More than 80% of ensemble members agree that CDD will increase over the Guinea Coast, in tandem with a projected decrease in CWD at both 1.5 ◦C and 2◦C global warming levels. These projected changes may influence already fragile ecosystems and agriculture in the region, both of which are strongly affected by mean rainfall and the length of wet and dry periods.JRC.E.1-Disaster Risk Managemen