Structural Adjustment and Emerging Urban Form in Accra, Ghana

Researchers have postulated the emergence of new urban forms in the Third World (TW), which are characterized by either a deconcentration of urban functions to peri-urban or smaller cities (polycentric), or a fusion of urban and rural functions (desakota). This paper provides empirical evidence, in the form of the phenomenal growth of Accra, on emerging urban forms. It argues that Accra's growth is a quality residential sprawl with unicentric tendencies, rather than either a deconcentration of urban functions or a fusion of urban and rural functions. For Accra, globalization, economic growth, and Structural Adjustment have helped the state provide enabling circumstances for global and local factors to contribute to the city's expansion. Based on the case of Accra, the paper raises a series of questions that relate to generalization, planning, and the management of sub-Saharan African cities (SSACs).