Blue green infrastructure and urban land use planning for climate resilient and inclusive cities in Kumasi, Ghana

Abstract

Rapid urbanization across Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) is intensifying ecological stress and exposing cities to escalating climate risks. Yet, in many SSA cities, the integration of nature-based solutions such as Blue-Green Infrastructure (BGI) into urban planning frameworks remains limited and poorly understood. This study aimed to address this gap by answering the following research questions: (i) To what extent is BGI integrated into Kumasi’s urban planning frameworks? (ii) What barriers constrain its integration? and (iii) What planning and policy strategies can enhance BGI adoption for a more sustainable and climate-resilient urban future in Kumasi? We employed a mixed-methods approach that integrated document analysis, household surveys, and key informant interviews. We found that despite broad recognition of BGI’s benefits among respondents, planning frameworks rarely incorporated BGI in a substantive way and allocated only a small portion of development budgets to its implementation. Institutional fragmentation, weak inter-agency coordination, limited technical capacity, and complex land governance arrangements were found to hinder meaningful integration of BGI. References to BGI in Kumasi’s urban plans were found to be largely performative, reflecting donor-driven agendas rather than a sustained, locally led policy commitment. Its detailed unpacking of how donor-driven agendas lead to performative rather than substantive BGI integration constitutes the novel contribution. The study advances the argument that BGI should be repositioned within urban planning discourse in SSA cities as a critical component of urban infrastructure, not merely as a secondary or aesthetic addition. Recommendations include cross-sectoral governance platforms, participatory planning approaches, spatial equity indicators, and improved financing mechanisms.