Road infrastructure expansion and socio-spatial fragmentation in the peri-urban zone in Accra, Ghana

The implementation of large-scale projects including road infrastructures is often seen as the driver of socio-economic growth and development of countries. Interestingly, in the Global South, road infrastructures trigger various socio-spatial impacts, including fragmentations and changes in the quality of life in cities, however, little attention is given to that. This paper addresses the question: how does socio-spatial fragmentation triggered by road expansion connect to different domains of peri-urban life in Accra, Ghana? The research employed a case study approach using qualitative, quantitative and spatial methods to examine how socio-spatial fragmentations triggered by road expansion affect different domains of Accra peri-urban quality of life, Ghana, at the community level. The study found that with the road infrastructure, gated housing types emerged, and low-income residents were displaced into the hinterlands, leading to residential segregation, which negatively affected social in-teractions in peri-urban Accra. Moreover, though the road infrastructure improved the connectivity of physical infrastructure services, which attracted more people to the studied communities, informal settlements emerged within certain parts of them due to the non-enforcement of planning regulations, creating some fragmentation processes. The findings of the study suggest that fragmentation is due to policy shortcomings and improvements in housing and services domains.

Automated summary

The construction of road infrastructures is a driving force for socio-economic growth and development in countries. However, little attention is given to the socio-spatial impacts of road infrastructures, particularly in the Global South. This study explores how socio-spatial fragmentation triggered by road expansion affects different aspects of peri-urban life in Accra, Ghana, and finds that it leads to residential segregation, negative effects on social interactions, and the emergence of informal settlements.