TITLE:
Slums in Semi-Arid Regions: An Analysis of the Vulnerability and Coping Strategies of Selected Neighbourhoods in the Wa Municipality, Ghana
AUTHORS:
Issaka Kanton Osumanu, Abubakari Ahmed, Raqib Abu Salia, Abdul-Rahim Abdulai, Alfred Dongzagla
KEYWORDS:
Coping Strategies, Ghana, Semi-Arid, Slums, Sustainability, Urbanization, Vulnerability
JOURNAL NAME:
Current Urban Studies,
Vol.3 No.4,
December
9,
2015
ABSTRACT: This study investigates the vulnerability of slum dwellers and the resulting coping strategies of
three spontaneous neighbourhoods in the Wa Municipality of Ghana. The study relied on mixed
methods with questionnaire administration as its main data collection technique focusing on the
social, economic and environmental dimensions of slums. It found that, even among slum close
neighbourhoods, the overall degree of vulnerability varies thereby representing a potential source
of dynamic resource for small cites. Slums selected are less vulnerable to environmental issues
than socioeconomic dimensions. The sustainability challenges therefore lie within the improvement
of social and economic choices. An identification of place based capabilities, opportunities
and localised constraints could serve as basis for designing of an appropriate planned intervention.