Resonating the ‘culture’ debate in urban planning

Abstract In this era of rapid urbanisation across Africa, an understanding of the role of culture in advancing urban planning and development is important for effective urban management, especially in Africa where the culture of informality is dominant. Yet, there is a dearth of research on the relationship between informal culture and urban planning in Africa. The purpose of this paper is twofold: (i) to analyse the influence of the culture of informality on urban planning and development in Kumasi, a rapidly urbanizing city in Ghana; and (ii) to explore how local people perceive and consider their culture of informality in the context of urban planning as a tool for development. Using mixed methods research approach (surveys, agency interviews, document review, and participant observation), findings indicate that four out of five identified values of the culture of informality are perceived to have statistically significant positive influence on urban planning and development. However, there is institutional neglect of the culture of informality in urban planning due to limited understanding of the relevance of informality in urban development, contributing to environmental and socio-economic challenges (e.g., slums proliferation, extinction of green spaces).