The presence and impact of urban road corridor commercialization on abuting buildings: The case of Ejisu, Ghana

Abstract

A prevailing characteristic of the 21st century has been the high rate of urbanization of 3.6 per cent in developing countries. This rate has propelled an influx of varying commercial activities along road corridors in urban settlements. The study investigated the factors responsible for the presence of road corridor commercialization and their impacts on buildings within the corridors, using Ejisu, an urban area in Ghana, as the case. The study adopted the mixed method approach in gathering data. The findings revealed that, the factor 'Attraction ofpotential buyers along the corridor' was the primary driver, followed by 'Consistency with tradition'. Other factors respon-sible for the current intensity and volume of road corridor commercialization along Ejisu'spor-tion of the N6 Highway included 'Limited space within the existing market' and 'Cost effective-ness'. The study also showed that the influx of informal commercial activities has great influ-ence in attracting formal commercial activities along the corridor, which in turn influenced the changes in the forms and uses of the buildings within the corridor. The study unveiled that, most of the changes in the use of buildings were from residential uses to purely commercial uses and from residential uses to mixed-use buildings. In a time of mounting housing deficit in Ghana, this finding serves as a caution to city authorities.