Doctoral Dissertation Research: Impacts of Rapid Urbanization on Livelihoods in African Cities: The Case of Accra, Ghana

博士论文研究：快速城市化对非洲城市生计的影响：以加纳阿克拉为例

• 批准号: 0623050
• 负责人: Susan Hanson
• 金额: $ 1.19万
• 依托单位: Clark University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2006
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2006-09-01 至 2008-02-29
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0623050&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Doctoral; Dissertation; Research; Impacts; Rapid

Rapid urbanization at the fringe of cities in Africa poses a great challenge to the sustainability of livelihoods in peri-urban areas. Urban expansion in these areas destroys agricultural land, which represents the major asset for peri-urban inhabitants. In Accra, Ghana variations in neighborhood characteristics such as income, employment status, rates of urbanization and gender differences across neighborhoods suggest that the impacts of urbanization on peri-urban livelihoods are likely to vary by gender and neighborhood context. Little research has been done, however, to explore the disaggregated impacts of urbanization on livelihoods - a gap this research aims to fill. The doctoral dissertation research project uses multiple methods (remote sensing, GIS and multivariate statistics) in conjunction with a sustainable livelihood framework to explore the dynamics between urbanization and peri-urban livelihoods. The project asks the following questions: (1) What is the rate of change in urbanization for selected neighborhoods of Accra between 1995 and 2005; (2) What are the effects of these changes on the livelihoods of women and men and on different neighborhoods?; and (3) What coping strategies do people employ to deal with livelihood changes, and how do these differ by gender and neighborhood context? Remote sensing analysis will provide data on urban expansion at the neighborhood scale. Household interviews with female and male peri-urban inhabitants will provide data on livelihood sources, strategies, outcomes, and constraints and how these have changed with urbanization. The findings of the project will show the extent of urban expansion in peri-urban Accra, its impacts on males and females in different neighborhoods, and the measures employed to offset negative outcomes of urbanization on livelihoods. The investigators anticipate that neighborhoods with higher urbanization rates, low-socio-economic status and less social network support will experience more adverse effects of urbanization on livelihoods.This project represents the first attempt to systematically document urbanization rates at the local level and evaluate the gender and neighborhood disaggregated impacts of urbanization on livelihoods in Accra using a multi-technique approach. The research will build on recent attempts to understand the dynamic relationships between the urbanization process and livelihoods at the peri-urban fringe and how it applies in the African context. The research will contribute directly to shaping policies related to peri-urban livelihoods by helping policy makers, planners and developers/builders to understand the negative impacts of urbanization on peri-urban livelihoods. The study will also provide peri-urban residents with the necessary information on the extent to which urbanization affects their livelihoods; this information will empower them to take the necessary action to offset unnecessary expansion into their areas. Finally, the research will contribute to the development of regulatory priorities by identifying neighborhoods and people who are more susceptible to livelihood changes.

非洲城市边缘地区的快速城市化对城郊地区生计的可持续性构成了巨大挑战。这些地区的城市扩张破坏了农业用地，而农业用地是城郊居民的主要资产。在加纳阿克拉，收入、就业状况、城市化率和社区间性别差异等社区特征的差异表明，城市化对城市周边生计的影响可能因性别和社区背景而异。然而，很少有研究探讨城市化对生计的分类影响——本研究旨在填补这一空白。博士论文研究项目采用多种方法（遥感、GIS和多元统计），结合可持续生计框架，探索城市化与城市周边生计之间的动态关系。该项目提出了以下问题：(1)1995年至2005年间，阿克拉选定社区的城市化变化率是多少？(2)这些变化对男女生计和不同社区的影响是什么？(3)人们在应对生计变化时采取了哪些应对策略，这些策略在性别和社区背景下有何差异？遥感分析将提供社区尺度上城市扩张的数据。对女性和男性城郊居民的家庭访谈将提供有关生计来源、策略、结果和制约因素以及这些因素如何随着城市化而变化的数据。该项目的调查结果将显示阿克拉城郊城市扩张的程度，其对不同社区男性和女性的影响，以及为抵消城市化对生计的负面影响而采取的措施。研究人员预计，城市化率较高、社会经济地位较低、社会网络支持较少的社区将经历更多的城市化对生计的不利影响。该项目首次尝试系统地记录地方一级的城市化率，并采用多技术方法评估城市化对阿克拉生计的性别和社区分类影响。这项研究将以最近的尝试为基础，了解城市化进程与城郊边缘地区生计之间的动态关系，以及这种关系如何适用于非洲的情况。该研究将通过帮助政策制定者、规划者和开发商/建设者了解城市化对城郊生计的负面影响，直接有助于制定与城郊生计相关的政策。这项研究还将向城郊居民提供关于城市化对其生计影响程度的必要资料；这一信息将使它们能够采取必要的行动，以抵消对其领域的不必要扩张。最后，该研究将通过确定更容易受到生计变化影响的社区和人群，为制定监管重点做出贡献。