Situating the compliance with land use regulations within the context of sustainable city development: Lessons from Ho Municipality of Ghana

The urbanization process in cities in the global south continues to reshape land use systems. Uncontrolled urbanization in cities in the global south, continues to threaten the sustainability of urban natural assets and agricultural lands. Despite the existence of land use regulations and guidelines to guide and control development, the enforcement of these regulations continues to face major challenges. This study assesses the effectiveness of land use regulations in the Ho Municipality and its implications on sustainable city development. In this study, the researchers relied on both primary and secondary data. The primary data was collected through the interview of the representatives of institutions such as Lands Commission, the Traditional Council, and the Ho Municipal Assembly. In terms secondary data, base maps of the study areas, Medium-Term Development Plans, the Land Use and Spatial Planning Act, 2016 Act 925 and the Zoning Guidelines and Planning Standards were reviewed. These served as a framework for assessing public compliance with land use regulations and standards. Overall, the findings of the study showed a complex combination of compliance and non-compliance of land use regulations. This implies that land use regulations and activities in the study areas sometimes promote sustainability whilst it sometimes threatens sustainability. For example, in the Ho Poly Area, there were no evidence of encroachment into the buffer zones of high-tension lines and arterial roads. This indicates that there is compliance with land use regulations, and this has positive implications for the sustainability of the city. However, there were no provisions made for urban green space in the neighborhood plan. This raises concerns on the ecological sustainability of the city. The researchers recommend stricter enforcement and the adoption of effective urban planning strategies such as institutional collaboration to achieve sustainable city development.