Open spaces in ACCRA
Cobblah, Mark Kofi
Tony Asare
Mark,
It is interesting that you sound optimistic when it comes to development of open spaces. For now the only spaces that seems to be guaranteed of are spaces under high tension lines. If you have noticed even the space right under the runway at Kotoka International Airport just across the motorway has been allocated (possibly by some chief not town and Country Planning) for construction and that point is less than a kilometer from touchdown of or aircrafts for 9 months of the year.
Two years ago the Joy fm family fun day started and as usual it was like mass hysteria; the patronage was high and the marketing deals took center stage and now it has become an annual affair. Families look up to the day. I spoke to Kojo Oppong Nkrumah and drawing his attention to the larger picture that the lack of communal parks for recreation was also key to the reason why this programme succeeded. He agreed and that was the end of the discussion.
There are pertinent issues that make me less optimistic about the future of public open spaces in our planning regimes. I want us to ponder over the following:
a. Airport City project was planned and what was the open spaces left after the level of densification we are developing. This is a flagship project in Ghana.
b. How have we managed the open areas that exists in Accra e.g. Sutherland Park, Kimbu Gardens, The Independence Arch Area, Osu and Awudome cemeteries, Achimota Forest Reserve, motorway reservation.
c. Have we noticed that in most new settlements areas left as open spaces are almost non-existent?.....East Legon, West Legon, Haatso, spintex road,….as for Western Accra the least said about it the better…Awoshie, Gbawe, etc
d. We have not been able to legislate landuse and the insistence of the creation of urban open areas and parks.
e. What is the nature of street furniture that take the urban user’s needs into consideration? Street lighting, seating, dust bins, bus sheds, aggregation of signage etc.
f. As a people we do not treasure urban parks and it shows in the culture of maintenance of green areas i.e. islands between our roads e.g. Accra-Tema Motorway, Maalam Kasoa, Nsawam Road.
Of course we need to educate ourselves in the benefits of greenery and look at developing sustainable parks of delight and some utilitarian value but that will be a long term thing. Other countries take it very seriously. India and Delhi(their independent arches) gates have been so commercialized that it is an integral part of urban architecture and tourism in India. Our independent arch is a sleeping place for the homeless which I discovered during the Ghana@50 celebrations.
I still remain less optimistic.
Tony
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Mr. Ampaabeng
Sent from my iPad
Mr. Ampaabeng
Sent from my iPad
Tony Asare
Kwaku,
I have attached the satellite image of Adjiringano area where JJ lives and I would not be too far from saying it is an ambassadorial enclave leading to possibly the most expensive residential area in Accra, Trassaco Estates. The major green area you see is the trail of pylons. The rest are uncompleted sites.
I rest my case. I will submit some work I have worked on some 4years ago that a leading politician described me as a dreamer.
Have a good day.
Tony
Cobblah, Mark Kofi
Thank you for your observation and recommendation which I endorse totally. I trust that my colleagues, the twin Joes will take your points seriously and undertake concurrently the motorway lighting and landscaping development. The landscaping can be contracted out to a professional landscaping company and be made to manage permanently. We see such beautiful and pleasant road sights in Malaysia, China, Brazil and South Africa. Ghana under our watch can also do it. Yes we can.
Kwesi Ahwoi
==========================================================================================================================
From: bette...@hotmail.com
To: joeg...@yahoo.com
CC: must...@yahoo.com
Subject: Beautiful works on the Tema Motorway
Date: Tue, 29 Nov 2011 08:50:44 +0000
Dear Honourable,
It is good to see new critical and beautiful developments at the Tema Motorway . Though the previous government had done its fair share of putting up street lights at the Tema Motorway, it did not amount to anything.
One can now see well mounted and artistically planned streetlights shooting up which tells that a good job is underway.
Another major thing is that, as all the developments are underway, there should not be an oversight that there should be a landscaping of the inner perimeters. At least the weeds in the inner perimeter could be seriously cleared. I can foresee that the dugged out soil in the ground would be left unattended to at all cost.
If the landscaping is done, Honourable, it will save us millions from constant weeding and clearing of the bush from end to end as well as add beauty to the Motorway. Further on, the landscaped inner perimeters could also be well grassed and if that could be costly, at least, some gravels and chippings could be used to decorate the inner perimeters.
In short, this will give a full and clear evidence to people in Ghana that after all after over several decades years of putting up the Motorway, it took NDC to help put it to a befitting status after all.
I attach a photo of Tema Motorway which I found on a website.
Thank you, Sir.
Best rgds
MARK
Bernard Appiah Gyebi
I can't help but go back to my original position that those areas should be consciously allocated for uses that will help to maintain the greenery. I've been specific and will re-iterate: let's allocate them for people to cultivate short-growing tree crops like cashew or even fence off some of those areas and use them as cemetries. Such uses will minimise whatever harmful effects the high-tension wires are supposed to produce. As I keep saying, the dead have no fear of being electrocuted or affected by whatever cancer-causing emissions the high-tension wires may have.
Away from the issue of the high tension lines, the main issue of the lack of open areas are rather lamentable (sorry Ampaabeng but we all lament every now and then) and a possible solution is for local authorities to allocate them to various social bodies or even private bodies to manage (churches, area keep fit clubs, schools, etc). That may lead to the exclusion of certain sections of the society from its use but I view that as the least of two evils. My view is simple: what is owned "privately" cannot be encroached upon.
Another solution that has been proposed elsehwere is for the approved land use maps for various vicinities to be displayed on the public notice boards of communities. That way, awareness is created and the communities are able to resist any undesirable change in use. Youth activism alone (however undesirable we sometimes find it) will prevent such open spaces from being encroached upon when the residents of a community are aware of them.
My two cents.
Bernard
From: tony....@tektonconsult.com
To: the-urban-...@googlegroups.com
Subject: RE: Open spaces in ACCRA
Date: Wed, 1 Feb 2012 10:49:03 +0000
Bernard Appiah Gyebi
Cheers
Date: Wed, 1 Feb 2012 11:20:45 +0000
Subject: Re: Open spaces in ACCRA
K. Ohene Sarfoh
Ghana, eishhhh
Bernard Appiah Gyebi
Sent from my BlackBerry® smartphone from MTN Ghana
-----Original Message-----
From: "K. Ohene Sarfoh" <oksa...@googlemail.com>
Date: Wed, 1 Feb 2012 21:49:01
To: <the-urban-...@googlegroups.com>
Subject: Re: Open spaces in ACCRA
Did someone say Airport city? I just started a small study of the developments (or better still the chaos in development) there last Friday. I am calculating the (single level) car parking space as the opportunity cost of recreation and circulation space not accommodated. If you work in Silver Towers and want to meet someone at Holiday in, how long will it take you to walk there for your meeting?
I am of the firm belief that if we create open spaces, we will fill them with containers in less than 2 years.
Ghana, eishhhh
On 1 February 2012 11:51, Bernard Appiah Gyebi <bgy...@hotmail.com <mailto:bgy...@hotmail.com> > wrote:
Nice one! Such influences are what we need. Please, keep reminding the minister every now and then so he doesn't let it 'fall through the cracks'
Cheers
----------------
Date: Wed, 1 Feb 2012 11:20:45 +0000
Subject: Re: Open spaces in ACCRA
From: cob...@gmail.com <mailto:cob...@gmail.com>
To: the-urban-...@googlegroups.com <mailto:the-urban-...@googlegroups.com>
Thanks Tony for this response.
I am excited about your comment on the Tema-Accra Motorway and the Kasoa-Mallam Roads and the fact that we do not treasure urban parks and naturally green environments.
I have once enquired why the green grassing around the Tetteh Quarshie Interchange, The Flagstaff House, etc never become a green grass even though almost each day there are gardeners working on them. I compared this to few places like the US Embassy, the Dutch Embassy, the Church of Christ building where the grass are always in good shape without too much hassle. I am sure that they have been serious monies paid to contractors to get these grasses become green grass but no results.
Anyway, this is just by the way.
Back to the Motorway and the like, I managed to fire a short email to a list of Cabinet Ministers including the Road Minister regarding the latest developments on the motorway and if they will ignore the inner lanes after it being dug. I got a surprise response from Hon. Ahwoi below. Hope you will love to read it.
Mark,
Thank you for your observation and recommendation which I endorse totally. I trust that my colleagues, the twin Joes will take your points seriously and undertake concurrently the motorway lighting and landscaping development. The landscaping can be contracted out to a professional landscaping company and be made to manage permanently. We see such beautiful and pleasant road sights in Malaysia, China, Brazil and South Africa. Ghana under our watch can also do it. Yes we can.
Kwesi Ahwoi
==========================================================================================================================
From: bette...@hotmail.com <mailto:bette...@hotmail.com>
To: joeg...@yahoo.com <mailto:joeg...@yahoo.com>
CC: must...@yahoo.com <mailto:must...@yahoo.com>
Subject: Beautiful works on the Tema Motorway
Date: Tue, 29 Nov 2011 08:50:44 +0000
Dear Honourable,
It is good to see new critical and beautiful developments at the Tema Motorway . Though the previous government had done its fair share of putting up street lights at the Tema Motorway, it did not amount to anything.
One can now see well mounted and artistically planned streetlights shooting up which tells that a good job is underway.
Another major thing is that, as all the developments are underway, there should not be an oversight that there should be a landscaping of the inner perimeters. At least the weeds in the inner perimeter could be seriously cleared. I can foresee that the dugged out soil in the ground would be left unattended to at all cost.
If the landscaping is done, Honourable, it will save us millions from constant weeding and clearing of the bush from end to end as well as add beauty to the Motorway. Further on, the landscaped inner perimeters could also be well grassed and if that could be costly, at least, some gravels and chippings could be used to decorate the inner perimeters.
In short, this will give a full and clear evidence to people in Ghana that after all after over several decades years of putting up the Motorway, it took NDC to help put it to a befitting status after all.
I attach a photo of Tema Motorway which I found on a website.
Thank you, Sir.
Best rgds
MARK
==================================================================================================
On Wed, Feb 1, 2012 at 10:49 AM, Tony Asare <tony....@tektonconsult.com <mailto:tony....@tektonconsult.com> > wrote:
Kwaku,
I have attached the satellite image of Adjiringano area where JJ lives and I would not be too far from saying it is an ambassadorial enclave leading to possibly the most expensive residential area in Accra, Trassaco Estates. The major green area you see is the trail of pylons. The rest are uncompleted sites.
I rest my case. I will submit some work I have worked on some 4years ago that a leading politician described me as a dreamer.
Have a good day.
Tony
From: the-urban-...@googlegroups.com <mailto:the-urban-...@googlegroups.com> [mailto:the-urban-...@googlegroups.com <mailto:the-urban-...@googlegroups.com> ] On Behalf Of Mr. Ampaabeng
Sent: Wednesday, February 01, 2012 7:29 AM
To: Mr. Ampaabeng
Cc: the-urban-...@googlegroups.com <mailto:the-urban-...@googlegroups.com>
Subject: Re: Open spaces in ACCRA
Tony,
Interesting part of the world we live..isn't it?
Voicing of opinions are sometimes labelled as "Lamentations.."
Express perssimism and "Defeatist" will be your tag!
You criticize,you belong to the opposing political party..
I weep for our kids and the generation unborn.
We are all in this together.
Sent from my iPad
On Feb 1, 2012, at 7:10 AM, "Mr. Ampaabeng" <kwek...@hotmail.com <mailto:kwek...@hotmail.com> > wrote:
Tony,
you got my ribs cracking this morning......and you made my day even before it began.
Keep hope alive!
Regards.
Sent from my iPad
On Feb 1, 2012, at 6:04 AM, "Tony Asare" <tony....@tektonconsult.com <mailto:tony....@tektonconsult.com> > wrote:
Mark,
It is interesting that you sound optimistic when it comes to development of open spaces. For now the only spaces that seems to be guaranteed of are spaces under high tension lines. If you have noticed even the space right under the runway at Kotoka International Airport just across the motorway has been allocated (possibly by some chief not town and Country Planning) for construction and that point is less than a kilometer from touchdown of or aircrafts for 9 months of the year.
Two years ago the Joy fm family fun day started and as usual it was like mass hysteria; the patronage was high and the marketing deals took center stage and now it has become an annual affair. Families look up to the day. I spoke to Kojo Oppong Nkrumah and drawing his attention to the larger picture that the lack of communal parks for recreation was also key to the reason why this programme succeeded. He agreed and that was the end of the discussion.
There are pertinent issues that make me less optimistic about the future of public open spaces in our planning regimes. I want us to ponder over the following: a. Airport City project was planned and what was the open spaces left after the level of densification we are developing. This is a flagship project in Ghana.
b. How have we managed the open areas that exists in Accra e.g. Sutherland Park, Kimbu Gardens, The Independence Arch Area, Osu and Awudome cemeteries, Achimota Forest Reserve, motorway reservation.
c. Have we noticed that in most new settlements areas left as open spaces are almost non-existent?.....East Legon, West Legon, Haatso, spintex road,..as for Western Accra the least said about it the better.Awoshie, Gbawe, etc
d. We have not been able to legislate landuse and the insistence of the creation of urban open areas and parks.
e. What is the nature of street furniture that take the urban user's needs into consideration? Street lighting, seating, dust bins, bus sheds, aggregation of signage etc.
f. As a people we do not treasure urban parks and it shows in the culture of maintenance of green areas i.e. islands between our roads e.g. Accra-Tema Motorway, Maalam Kasoa, Nsawam Road.
Of course we need to educate ourselves in the benefits of greenery and look at developing sustainable parks of delight and some utilitarian value but that will be a long term thing. Other countries take it very seriously. India and Delhi(their independent arches) gates have been so commercialized that it is an integral part of urban architecture and tourism in India. Our independent arch is a sleeping place for the homeless which I discovered during the Ghana@50 celebrations.
I still remain less optimistic.
Tony
Cobblah, Mark Kofi
Thanks for your study and your views as well.
Infact, the level of tourism alone that this nature of developments at
the Airport City is killing, we can never imagine.
The opportunity to mix open spaces with street architecture,
sculptures, street arts, pavements and lawns, fountains, together with
shops, bars, cafe's, restaurants, high street shops and boutiques,
sale of gifts and Ghanaian artefacts and paraphernalia, etc, and
after-hours night outs and weekend breaks. People sightseeing and
visiting for leisure or respite. One can only imagine this.
These are all lost at one time and only beautiful buildings hanging
there. I am even alarmed when all these buildings become fully packed.
The level of human and vehicular traffic will be intriguing.
My worry is that, the same mistake is happening at the Ridge Square /
British Council perimeters as well as springing areas such as Tetteh
Quarshie enclaves.
Thanks.
MARK
On 2/1/12, K. Ohene Sarfoh <oksa...@googlemail.com> wrote:
> Did someone say Airport city? I just started a small study of the
> developments (or better still the chaos in development) there last Friday.
> I am calculating the (single level) car parking space as the opportunity
> cost of recreation and circulation space not accommodated. If you work in
> Silver Towers and want to meet someone at Holiday in, how long will it take
> you to walk there for your meeting?
>
> I am of the firm belief that if we create open spaces, we will fill them
> with containers in less than 2 years.
>
> Ghana, eishhhh
> On 1 February 2012 11:51, Bernard Appiah Gyebi <bgy...@hotmail.com> wrote:
>
>> Nice one! Such influences are what we need. Please, keep reminding the
>> minister every now and then so he doesn't let it 'fall through the cracks'
>>
>> Cheers
>>
>> ------------------------------
>> Date: Wed, 1 Feb 2012 11:20:45 +0000
>>
>> Subject: Re: Open spaces in ACCRA
>> From: cob...@gmail.com
>> To: the-urban-...@googlegroups.com
>>
>>
>> Thanks Tony for this response.
>>
>> I am excited about your comment on the Tema-Accra Motorway and the
>> Kasoa-Mallam Roads and the fact that we do not treasure urban parks and
>> naturally green environments.
>>
>> I have once enquired why the green grassing around the Tetteh Quarshie
>> Interchange, The Flagstaff House, etc never become a green grass even
>> though almost each day there are gardeners working on them. I compared
>> this
>> to few places like the US Embassy, the Dutch Embassy, the Church of Christ
>> building where the grass are always in good shape without too much hassle.
>> I am sure that they have been serious monies paid to contractors to get
>> these grasses become green grass but no results.
>>
>> Anyway, this is just by the way.
>>
>> Back to the Motorway and the like, I managed to fire a short email to a
>> list of Cabinet Ministers including the Road Minister regarding the latest
>> developments on the motorway and if they will ignore the inner lanes after
>> it being dug. I got a surprise response from* Hon. Ahwoi *below. Hope you
>> will love to read it.
>>
>> *
>> *
>> *Mark,**
>> ****
>> **Thank you for your observation and recommendation which I endorse
>> totally. I trust that my colleagues, the twin Joes will take your points
>> seriously and undertake concurrently the motorway lighting and landscaping
>> development. The landscaping can be contracted out to a professional
>> landscaping company and be made to manage permanently. We see such
>> beautiful and pleasant road sights in Malaysia, China, Brazil and South
>> Africa. Ghana under our watch can also do it. Yes we can. **
>> ****
>> **Kwesi Ahwoi**
>> **
>> ****
>> ==========================================================================================================================
>> *From: bette...@hotmail.com
>> To: joeg...@yahoo.com
>> CC: must...@yahoo.com
>> Subject: Beautiful works on the Tema Motorway
>> Date: Tue, 29 Nov 2011 08:50:44 +0000
>>
>> Dear Honourable,
>>
>>
>> It is good to see new critical and beautiful developments at the Tema
>> Motorway . Though the previous government had done its fair share of
>> putting up street lights at the Tema Motorway, it did not amount to
>> anything.
>>
>>
>> One can now see well mounted and artistically planned streetlights
>> shooting up which tells that a good job is underway.
>>
>>
>> Another major thing is that, as all the developments are underway, there
>> should not be an oversight that there should be a* landscaping* of the
>> *From:* the-urban-...@googlegroups.com [mailto:
>> the-urban-...@googlegroups.com] *On Behalf Of *Mr. Ampaabeng
>> *Sent:* Wednesday, February 01, 2012 7:29 AM
>> *To:* Mr. Ampaabeng
>> *Cc:* the-urban-...@googlegroups.com
>> *Subject:* Re: Open spaces in ACCRA
>> *From:* the-urban-...@googlegroups.com [mailto:
>> the-urban-...@googlegroups.com] *On Behalf Of *Cobblah, Mark Kofi
>> *Sent:* Tuesday, January 31, 2012 6:59 PM
>> *To:* the-urban-platform-gh
>> *Subject:* Open spaces in ACCRA
>>
>>
>>
>> Dear Friends,
>>
>>
>>
>> There are a lot of open spaces and public spaces in Accra and its environs
>> but many a time one does not really see it in its full glare as a result
>> of
>> its improper usage.
>>
>>
>>
>> I just managed to attach some photos for your perusal and feedback as to
>> whether there could ever be a possibility of changing some of these open
>> spaces into a well memorable place for respite as well as for weekend
>> relaxation and the like.
>>
>>
>>
>> At the moment, Ghana is seen as a very hospitable nation but I wonder if
>> many tourists and visitors into our country do really get a place to sit
>> or
>> relax when they are traveling across the city for sightseeing or for
>> adventure.
>>
>>
>>
>> One major improvement currently going on is the NATIONALISM PARK ( at the
>> Independence Square) where new designs in the gardens and surrounding with
>> seats and pavements as well as newly mounted road fences are underway. The
>> only problem is that, the monument adjacent to the new NDK building *( I
>> do not know the name for this important monument even though I see it
>> everyday) *is completely fenced which does not allow the public to have a
>> 'feel' of it or even take photographs with it. I thought that monuments
>> are
>> supposed to be admired, enjoyed and visited but not fenced away from the
>> public.
>>
>>
>>
>> I am sure, it is about time we glaringly display our monuments with nice
>> surroundings and features to allow us to admire them and use them or relax
>> around them as well.
>>
>>
>>
>> Other open places of interest which I can quickly point to which could be
>> well designed and adorned include the open space opposite the SILVER STAR
>> tower at Airport. The space at the Accra Sports Stadium opposite
>> Intercontinental Bank. Others include the open space opposite the Airport
>> Police Station and the Embassy next to the Airport Traffic Light. The
>> entire green area of the* Kotoka Airport *itself is a huge open space
Tony Asare
Five of us did a group work on Urban parks in 2007 at Human Settlement
Management Institute (HSMI), New Delhi, India. The group was made up of
myself and the following:
1. Planner from Oman
2. City Engineer from Bhutan
3. Architect from El Salvador
4. Architect from Honduras
Thanks,
Tony
-----Original Message-----
From: the-urban-...@googlegroups.com
[mailto:the-urban-...@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of Cobblah, Mark
Kofi
Ohene,
Thanks.
MARK
>> road,..as for Western Accra the least said about it the better.Awoshie,
Mr. Ampaabeng
Accra needs you.....the auto piloted plane(Accra) crashed ages ago!
Hooking you up to the mayor right away....hehe..
One hell of a missed opportunity in several respects:Airport, What?
Sent from my iPad
> <Urban Parks_Group work presented to HSMI, new Delhi, India.pdf>
The Urban Platform of Ghana
We just don't have an attitude that wlecomes vacant / open space
whether we are public or privae sector. NTHC is filling up all the
open spaces in your former neighbourhood. Regimanuel has completed
building up remaining open space in its enclave close to Ampaabeng's
residence. TDC is selling all the lands along the channels of the
Sakumo stream running through C18 and 19 with abandon. In the next 10
years, urban Ghana will be experiencing very high levels of obesity
and respiratory diseases. mark my words. Then we will vote on which
party can get the loans quickest from Fenando Po to build the
hospitals where the doctors can gain employment in order to go on
strike.
On Feb 2, 10:35 am, "Tony Asare" <tony.as...@tektonconsult.com> wrote:
> Ohene,
> Five of us did a group work on Urban parks in 2007 at Human Settlement
> Management Institute (HSMI), New Delhi, India. The group was made up of
> myself and the following:
>
> 1. Planner from Oman
> 2. City Engineer from Bhutan
> 3. Architect from El Salvador
> 4. Architect from Honduras
>
> Thanks,
> Tony
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: the-urban-...@googlegroups.com
>
> [mailto:the-urban-...@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of Cobblah, Mark
> Kofi
> Sent: Wednesday, February 01, 2012 10:19 PM
> To: the-urban-...@googlegroups.com
>
> Ohene,
>
> Thanks for your study and your views as well.
>
> Infact, the level of tourism alone that this nature of developments at
> the Airport City is killing, we can never imagine.
>
> The opportunity to mix open spaces with street architecture,
> sculptures, street arts, pavements and lawns, fountains, together with
> shops, bars, cafe's, restaurants, high street shops and boutiques,
> sale of gifts and Ghanaian artefacts and paraphernalia, etc, and
> after-hours night outs and weekend breaks. People sightseeing and
> visiting for leisure or respite. One can only imagine this.
>
> These are all lost at one time and only beautiful buildings hanging
> there. I am even alarmed when all these buildings become fully packed.
> The level of human and vehicular traffic will be intriguing.
>
> My worry is that, the same mistake is happening at the Ridge Square /
> British Council perimeters as well as springing areas such as Tetteh
> Quarshie enclaves.
>
> Thanks.
> MARK
>
> > Did someone say Airport city? I just started a small study of the
> > developments (or better still the chaos in development) there last Friday.
> > I am calculating the (single level) car parking space as the opportunity
> > cost of recreation and circulation space not accommodated. If you work in
> > Silver Towers and want to meet someone at Holiday in, how long will it
> take
> > you to walk there for your meeting?
>
> > I am of the firm belief that if we create open spaces, we will fill them
> > with containers in less than 2 years.
>
> > Ghana, eishhhh
> > On 1 February 2012 11:51, Bernard Appiah Gyebi <bgy...@hotmail.com> wrote:
>
> >> Nice one! Such influences are what we need. Please, keep reminding the
> >> minister every now and then so he doesn't let it 'fall through the
> cracks'
>
> >> Cheers
>
> >> ------------------------------
> >> Date: Wed, 1 Feb 2012 11:20:45 +0000
>
> >> Subject: Re: Open spaces in ACCRA
> ==============================================
> >> *From: bettergh...@hotmail.com
> >> To: joegid...@yahoo.com
> >> CC: musten...@yahoo.com
>
> >> On Wed, Feb 1, 2012 at 10:49 AM, Tony Asare
>
> >> Tony,
>
> >> you got my ribs cracking this morning......and you made my day even
> before
> >> it began.
>
> >> Keep hope alive!
>
> >> Regards.
>
> >> Sent from my iPad
>
>
> read more »
> Urban Parks_Group work presented to HSMI, new Delhi, India.pdf
>
> - Show quoted text -
Tony Asare
I lived next to the NTHC park that is now being built up. We in the
community protested but nothing happened. If we had laws that backed the
creation of open spaces and also had planning schemes published and people
bought into them such occurrences will be history. Even in our villages we
had public open spaces used for gatherings so what changed?
If the open spaces are left without ownership of some sort it will one day
be taken over. 5 years ago we did an exercise to see what was possible. The
ideas are a bit old but I have attached them for us to see what we could do
with 4 plots.
Tony
-----Original Message-----
From: the-urban-...@googlegroups.com
[mailto:the-urban-...@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of The Urban
Platform of Ghana
--
Bernard Appiah Gyebi
Laws are good but we have so many laws in this country that are not being enforced. What chance is there that a law on open spaces will be enforceable? For me, adherence to professional standards matter more than laws. If the proper standards have been maintained by the professional who approved that plan, I bet you and the community would have had a stronger basis for your protestations.
Back that with the proposal to display the land-use plan in the community and you'll see that activism alone may succeed where the law couldn't cope. Indeed, it'll take a very foolhardy developer to go build in an open space when the community have the full knowledge that the particular piece of land is not meant for a building but should be left as an open space.
Cheers
Bernard
Sent from my BlackBerry® smartphone from MTN Ghana
-----Original Message-----
From: Tony Asare <tony....@tektonconsult.com>
Date: Fri, 3 Feb 2012 10:46:16
To: <the-urban-...@googlegroups.com>
Subject: RE: Open spaces in ACCRA
Cobblah, Mark Kofi
Mr. Ampaabeng
You will be shocked to learn that all these developers develop communities of 100 to 300 houses with a single permit..probably covering a few house types?
Plus,there are no sanctions when they fill up proposed open spaces on approved master plans.
Even internal roads in these estates are deemed private until they are handed over to Urban Roads....hence most of them are riddled with pot holes few years after construction..
then the issue of who is responsible for their maintenance arises.
Sent from my iPad
kweku amp
Brilliant....just an acre ooo!
How do we eliminate this canker of square pegs in round holes in this country?
The standard of signage at Kotoka Airport is so tacky and disgusting......makes you
wonder whether thats the best this country has to offer....the examples are countless..
When are we going to do things with a little bit of finesse..aaaaba!
> To: the-urban-...@googlegroups.com
> Subject: RE: Open spaces in ACCRA
Mr. Ampaabeng
Good you identify possible open spaces for development into parks.
However let's consider the following:
1.Ownership issues......who own these lands( Children's park being the exception)
2.how do these locations tie into the master plan of the immediate environs if any?
Let leadership and responsible technocrats show us at least an INTENT in the form
of a MASTER DEVELOPMENTAL plan for Accra over the next say, 20 years..
For me that is really the genesis of everything.
That way ,we all have a reference point from which we can begin to discuss the feasibility or otherwise of the plan,buying into it as we go along ....everything else is just adding to the ad hocism that has bedeviled this entire system called Ghana.
Good job we are doing but ,let's start by pushing for a master plan,growth and expansion plan,implementation plan,funding sources etc.
We need to know how much it's going to cost to have a modern capital that can rival say Abidjan,Nairobi,Pretoria or Durban over a 20 year period.
What about regeneration,rezoning....
Must GBC occupy all that area of land when it can be accommodated in a single block?
Must Burma Camp Continue to be where it is?
What do we do with James Town and Paladium?
Osu,Nyaniba,Awudome etc..
What happened to mixed use high rise inner city development?
Unbearable traffic fueling the rat race phenomenon,with it's associated low productivity..
Why must Accra mall have a single level free parking...takes you forever to get out of there?
Why do we still do free off street parking?
While at it,let's do another one for Takoradi and Kumasi...
If you fail to plan,you plan to fail..
Cheers.
Sent from my iPad
Cobblah, Mark Kofi
Mr. Ampaabeng
Sent from my iPad
<satellite image around JJ's residence.pdf>
The Urban Platform of Ghana
and Oko Vanderpuye
1. They are all occupied the office of Mayor of Accra
2. They were unhappy with the haphazard developments stifling the city
and wanted to solve the problem
3. They pulled down some buildings and chased hawkers off the pavement
(Oko also added directing traffic to his duties).
4. Some of the demolition gangs were given "ewiase ye sum" black
rubber bags by some offenders and were granted immunity from
demolition and blessing to hawk without resistance.
5. Squatters and hawkers went on demonstration
6. The Mayors were stopped by the "powers that be" that appointed them
into office.
7. The demolition gangs left the demolition debris as it was
8. The "squatters" and hawkers returned more invigorated, building on
top of the debris and hawking on the streets, not pavements
9. The rains came, lasted 30 minutes leaving in its aftermath several
people drowned and many more losing properties
10. The media berated the city and the government for 3 days after the
rain and stopped (going back to the more important issue of NQQ
party's polling station elections)
11 The successor mayors went on radio promising to deal with the
problem
12. Go to point 2 and start the process again
The 12 commandments of city management in Ghana
Sent from my container pad
K. Ohene Sarfoh
Bernard Appiah Gyebi
Sent from my BlackBerry® smartphone from MTN Ghana
-----Original Message-----
From: The Urban Platform of Ghana <oksa...@googlemail.com>
Date: Sun, 5 Feb 2012 00:16:28
To: <the-urban-...@googlegroups.com>
Subject: Re: Open spaces in ACCRA
Tony Asare
Ashigbey and wants to assist with our publications in Daily Graphic. Can we
discuss how best some of these ideas can be structured and presented in Daly
Graphic?
Tony
-----Original Message-----
From: the-urban-...@googlegroups.com
[mailto:the-urban-...@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of Bernard Appiah
Gyebi
Sent: Sunday, February 05, 2012 1:56 AM
To: The Urban Platform of Ghana ; the-urban-...@googlegroups.com
Subject: Re: Open spaces in ACCRA
Looooool!!!! Dr Ohene, your sense of humour has just soothed my fear of
Black Stars clashing with the Elephants! Very well said, boss.
Sent from my BlackBerryR smartphone from MTN Ghana
steve akuffo
To: The Urban Platform of Ghana <the-urban-...@googlegroups.com>
Sent: Sunday, 5 February 2012, 0:16
Subject: Re: Open spaces in ACCRA
Kwabena Nyarko
Sent from my iPhone
<ACCRA - A People City.part5.rar>
Tony Asare
Bertha Darteh
To: the-urban-...@googlegroups.com
Sent: Tuesday, 7 February 2012, 17:09
Subject: RE: Open spaces in ACCRA
Mr. Ampaabeng
Sent from my iPad
The Urban Platform of Ghana
In the morning, you will see articulator trucks struggling against
taxis in the small tunnels.
Then in the evening you will see prostitutes signing World Bank deals
there.
On Saturday, Blah Flank will expand his "foos" business by locating
his "pavement" department there
On Sundays you will find Bishop Dr. Prophet Kwani kwani doing major
miracles there.
So if you like tunnel and see.
Ok, now Magnus now teach us something
Mr. Ampaabeng
Sent from my iPad
Tony Asare
Grade separation should be looked at carefully in traffic management especially in the high density areas. What makes places like La Paz tick is its function as a nodal point for distribution to other localities such as Santa Maria, Awoshie, Gbawe and many other areas. So over the period significant business has sprung up.
The N1's success will be tested over this period as to whether it is good for as a transit corridor or for the community that it goes through. For now, all those who have spoken about the road as users commuting between Tetteh Quarshie and Maalam and belong are almost ecstatic about it and that includes me. I will be glad to see a survey of how the N1 has affected the local community and their fortunes especially and compare it with the initial anticipated Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA).
In Delhi I have seen such roads designed and elevated at the points where there is heavy pedestrian and retail activities in order to minimize conflicts at such points. Already the N1 is claiming lives. We will also need to study the effects of flooding around Dzorwulu where run-off is suppose to increase. All this together will make subsequent projects better in conception, implementation and use. For now we are watching.
Tony
Sent from my iPad
Bertha Darteh
To: "the-urban-...@googlegroups.com" <the-urban-...@googlegroups.com>
Cc: "the-urban-...@googlegroups.com" <the-urban-...@googlegroups.com>
Sent: Saturday, 3 March 2012, 13:56
Subject: N1 Issues
Tony Asare
Sent from my iPad
The Urban Platform of Ghana
all members of the Urban Platform drive the full stretch of the N1
(and in both directions) to identify potential points for solving the
pedestrian-vehicle-community conflicts. I want a menu of do-able
actions (not utopian dreams).
I am also highlighting a future event for your calender - "The Urban
Platform's Rail trial" which will take place next month. The idea is
for all of us to use the Accra-Tema train commute and catalogue your
individual experiences
On Mar 3, 11:26 pm, Tony Asare <tony.as...@tektonconsult.com> wrote:
> Thanks Bertha,
> Honestly my focus is on how we could design roads and interchanges through a few transit high density corridors. A few areas come into mind are Teshie-Nungua or Nyamekye-Darkoman link as an example and it's consequences. No doubt a lot of work goes into such processes but what becomes of the development on completion. I suppose if we set an objective that unless the project enhances quality of life and business positively we should always pursue an agenda to keep the life and business near intact.
>
> This week there was an accident and as usual the police, fire service, health workers and politicians jump in the fray to add to the analysis. The Ghana Road Safety Commission should be allowed and resourced to improve their scope and not be instructed through a public court of opinion which is often done and also collect data and publish.
>
> Another silent observation is how quickly the spaces under bridges become blighted simply because of our non-attendance to Spaces Left Over After Planning. These spaces become abodes of madmen and deviant behaviour. It is important that these roads and bridges are seen as urban artifacts which have both functional and aesthetic values therefore we need to start questioning the composition of Technical Team even if the project must be engineering led. Maybe we could also start looking at what an ideal composition would be. All is not.
>
> Sent from my iPad
>
>
>
>
> > I really like your contribution Tony. It seems as if the connection between Tetteh Quarshie and Mallam was the main agenda with little regard for the community through which the N1 passes. It will also seem that the needs of other users were not carefully thought of in the design. Sometimes we hear comments that the road is now a Motorway. the question is how many Motorways/Insterstates do we see giving so much access to pedestrians to run across and how many motorways pass right next to people's bedrooms and shops. The function of the road has all of a sudden changed but how do we get the people to change along with it when they were not thought of in the first place. Could we have anticipated these conflicts and could we have done something to improve the design to accommodate those living along the corridor. To quote Tony
>
> > "The N1's success will be tested over this period as to whether it is good for as a transit corridor or for the community that it goes through. For now, all those who have spoken about the road as users commuting between Tetteh Quarshie and Maalam and belong are almost ecstatic about it and that includes me. I will be glad to see a survey of how the N1 has affected the local community and their fortunes especially and compare it with the initial anticipated Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA)."
>
> > Hope Ohene will compile some of these discussion points and share with the people in charge of traffic management and road safety :)
> > Cc: "the-urban-...@googlegroups.com" <the-urban-...@googlegroups.com>
> > Sent: Saturday, 3 March 2012, 13:56
> > Subject: N1 Issues
>
> > Hahahaha, Ohene Paa! You haven't given up have you?
>
> > Grade separation should be looked at carefully in traffic management especially in the high density areas. What makes places like La Paz tick is its function as a nodal point for distribution to other localities such as Santa Maria, Awoshie, Gbawe and many other areas. So over the period significant business has sprung up.
>
> > The N1's success will be tested over this period as to whether it is good for as a transit corridor or for the community that it goes through. For now, all those who have spoken about the road as users commuting between Tetteh Quarshie and Maalam and belong are almost ecstatic about it and that includes me. I will be glad to see a survey of how the N1 has affected the local community and their fortunes especially and compare it with the initial anticipated Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA).
>
> > In Delhi I have seen such roads designed and elevated at the points where there is heavy pedestrian and retail activities in order to minimize conflicts at such points. Already the N1 is claiming lives. We will also need to study the effects of flooding around Dzorwulu where run-off is suppose to increase. All this together will make subsequent projects better in conception, implementation and use. For now we are watching.
>
> > Tony
>
> > Sent from my iPad
>
>
> > > Hahahahahahahhaha....Ohene,you made my Saturday.
>
> > > Sent from my iPad
>
Tony Asare
I drove the whole stretch on Sunday and will do that again and take photographs for our analysis. My only worry is whether we can have photos and annotations pasted here. Maybe we'll make do with written documents converted to PDF.
I have used the Tema Accra Rail line several times as well and will write shortly. It is a must have experience. You'll read from me soon.
Tony
Sent from my iPad
Harold Esseku
From: The Urban Platform of Ghana <oksa...@googlemail.com>
To: The Urban Platform of Ghana <the-urban-...@googlegroups.com>
Sent: Wednesday, March 7, 2012 11:36 AM
Subject: Re: N1 Issues
The Urban Platform of Ghana
So go ahead.
Harold, unfortunately the actual name of SPINTEX road is SPINTEX road.
There are other places with worse names like Tsiafi ehe, Ashawo
junction. So I guess we are lucky that road is not called some
unprintable name.
Magnus Lincoln Quarshie
generation must change, WE CAN DO IT. A subway or tunnel will work if
designed properly as an activity node. This platform must make it work them.
I have recently designed a subway for the Tema Hospital road wide enough to
have some activity. We need to promote it and make it work . making cities
work is our collective responsibility. Next step is to crystallize these
"talkings" and make a change. YES WE CAN>
-----Original Message-----
From: the-urban-...@googlegroups.com
[mailto:the-urban-...@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of Mr. Ampaabeng
Sent: Saturday, March 03, 2012 4:11 AM
To: the-urban-...@googlegroups.com
Cc: The Urban Platform of Ghana
Subject: Re: Open spaces in ACCRA
The Urban Platform of Ghana
cynicism of my intput was the intention of drawing attention through
irony to the reality of the two most powerful forces confronting
sustainable urban development in Ghana today - the misconception of
formality, space and rights on the one hand and the growing reality
gulf in our 2-speed society.
We the professionals are planning rules, regulations and practices,
creating and (deluding ourselves of strict) monitoring of formal
spaces and thereby according rights and privilleges to our citizenry
as though there is equal capacity to access these spaces. We are not
realising the conditions of such access and the price tag it comes
along with which inevitably freezes a significant section of the
society out. The other blind spot is the reality of the excluded
making and creating their own reality totally discounting the former
rules and regulations.
So, YES WE CAN tunnel. But read the post script: the poor also want to
utilise these spaces to maximise their livelihoods. Can you dig it?
You want to bet your next fees that we will not see the latest hiplife
group, "Oko and the Gang" wielding sticks and stones chasing the urban
poor out of the tunnels just because the planners and architects
forgot that the poor also need to be in those same spaces interacting
with the rich and not isolated to some backwaters reserved only for
their kind.
The Ghanaian urban apartheid is a professional mindset!!!!! The walls
of Jericho enclaves we are building will not take the problem away.
How is it that street markets are viable in Copenhagen and Amsterdam
and all we want to do is build only concrete shops everywhere as
though everyone can afford the GHCx,xxx goodwill which is really
unaccountable largese? The pavement departments lining up around Accra
Mall are not an aberation. They are the outcome of the dysfunctional
planning and architecture practice in Ghana. Our planning and
architecture, as it is today, is a day late and a dollar short.
So as they say, show me the money (or this case show me the bright
idea or die trying).
Or better still, as FONKAR (as they then were) challenged us, URBAN
PLATFORM, BE BOLD
On Mar 7, 12:51 pm, "Magnus Lincoln Quarshie"
> I beg to differ from Ohene, This cannot be done song by the previous
> generation must change, WE CAN DO IT. A subway or tunnel will work if
> designed properly as an activity node. This platform must make it work them.
> I have recently designed a subway for the Tema Hospital road wide enough to
> have some activity. We need to promote it and make it work . making cities
> work is our collective responsibility. Next step is to crystallize these
> "talkings" and make a change. YES WE CAN>
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: the-urban-...@googlegroups.com
>
> [mailto:the-urban-...@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of Mr. Ampaabeng
> Sent: Saturday, March 03, 2012 4:11 AM
> To: the-urban-...@googlegroups.com
> Cc: The Urban Platform of Ghana
> Subject: Re: Open spaces in ACCRA
>
> Hahahahahahahhaha....Ohene,you made my Saturday.
>
> Sent from my iPad
>
> On Mar 2, 2012, at 10:53 PM, The Urban Platform of Ghana
kweku amp
Do you notice how we try hard to keep out the kenkey sellers,scrap buyers and the 'sharpen your knives'(my daughter keeps blurting out this
much to my chagrin)folks out of the Jericho walls?
Indeed there's this "lunatic" who scavenges our bins!
> Subject: Re: Open spaces in ACCRA
Cobblah, Mark Kofi
Action is the best solution. In the beginning of the year, I pointed out that it is very important that the ideas, thoughts, plans, strategies, solutions of the Urban Platform should result in a tangible something.
At the moment, I am not seeing that.
Infact, enough is enough. As if I knew what Kweku was thinking. Just by the day, our cities are sinking and getting worse. And it is a fact.
In about 15 minutes ago (8.43 A.M. now) I walked past the TEMA GREENWICH MERIDIAN business district or quarter. I was sad and always will be.
In the midst of the sprawling CITY CENTRE, TRUCKS as dirty and neglected are parked on all city corners and streets. Thanks to GOD, most of the office blocks are not walled and fence unnecessary, so at least it helped in vehicular and human movement in all directions and corners of the CITY CENTRE.
But another amazement was the detriment of the roads and pavements and very broken into pieces beyond repairs. I seriously wonder why we can erect million dollar properties and neglect the only 5 metres surrounding us. Why do we make our life so pitiful.
Just at the beginning of this week, I thought of a CAMPAIGN to rid Ghana of DUST. When we understand how DUST alone makes everything beautiful useless, we will appreciate the ART OF DESIGN. If in our city centres we actually inculcate the habit of paved roads and lawns and at least some nice streets, we can see that DUST will be a history.
A perfect example is MAKOLA. Even though there is too much hawking in there and everything is everywhere plus the chaos of the numbers of people, at least you can see that human beings walk freely in a decent though disorganized environment. The same way is certain parts of the MINISTRIES ENCLAVE.
Please let us begin small and little by little and we will get there.
This DUSTY business in every corner is not good for our 21st Century. DUST, I think, is the first cause of our FILTHY environment. A new car which is DUSTY has no appeal even if it is a BENTLEY. A dusty LIVING ROOM can never attract any one to spend more than an hour in the room.
Please let us put some action little by little.
I will revert.
MARK
Christiana Laryea
To: The Urban Platform of Ghana <the-urban-...@googlegroups.com>
Sent: Wednesday, March 7, 2012 11:36 AM
Subject: Re: N1 Issues
