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

非洲城市边缘的快速城市化对城市周边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。在加纳的阿克拉，居民区的收入、就业状况、城市化率和性别差异等特点各不相同，这表明城市化对城郊生计的影响可能因性别和居民区的情况而异。然而，在探讨城市化对生计的分类影响方面，几乎没有进行过研究-本研究旨在填补这一空白。 博士论文研究项目使用多种方法（遥感，地理信息系统和多元统计）结合可持续生计框架，探索城市化和城市周边生计之间的动态。该项目提出了以下问题：（1）1995年至2005年期间，阿克拉选定社区的城市化变化率如何？（2）这些变化对妇女和男子的生计以及对不同社区的影响如何？（3）人们采用什么样的应对策略来应对生计变化，这些策略在性别和邻里环境中有何差异？遥感分析将提供街区范围内城市扩展的数据。对城市周边男女居民的家庭访谈将提供关于生计来源、战略、成果和制约因素的数据，以及这些方面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的城市扩张程度、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。调查人员预计，较高的城市化率，低社会经济地位和较少的社会网络支持的社区将经历更多的城市化对生计的不利影响。该项目是第一次尝试系统地记录在地方一级的城市化率，并评估性别和社区分列的影响城市化对生计在阿克拉使用多技术的方法。这项研究将以最近为了解城市化进程与城市周边生计之间的动态关系以及如何将其应用于非洲的情况所作的努力为基础。这项研究将通过帮助决策者、规划者和开发商/建筑商了解城市化对城市周边地区生计的负面影响，直接有助于制定与城市周边地区生计有关的政策。这项研究还将向城郊居民提供必要的信息，说明城市化对其生计的影响程度;这一信息将使他们能够采取必要行动，抵消不必要的扩张。 最后，这项研究将通过确定更容易受到生计变化影响的社区和人群，为制定监管优先事项做出贡献。

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.