Urban space as a livelihood asset for the poor

One immediate outcome of the restructuring of the global economy has been the rapid growth of informal sector employment. This is particularly evident in cities of the Global South where the economic reforms of the past quarter of a century have increased their population concentrations and contributed to a rapid growth of the informal economy. In Ghana, the informal economy is estimated to have provided about 78.5 percent of employment in 1997. In spite of its contribution to local economic development, city authorities have failed to recognise the sector as an important component of the urban economy. Using Kumasi, Ghana as a case study, this book examines the interconnections between planning policy making and the development of street trading as a sub-sector of the urban economy. The Sustainable Livelihood Framework is utilized as an analytical model to examine how planning policies and regulations have impacted on development and growth of this sector of Kumasi's economy.

Autorentext

Mensah Owusu erwarb einen MSc in Stadtentwicklungsplanung am University College London. Derzeit promoviert er an der University of Adelaide in Australien. Seine Forschungsinteressen liegen im Verständnis der Zusammenhänge zwischen Geschlecht, Anfälligkeit für den Klimawandel und Anpassung in städtischen informellen Siedlungen im globalen Süden.