Policy coherence in mixed-use development and its implications for sustainable urban development

Policy coherence is increasingly recognised as a critical condition for sustainable urban development, particularly in rapidly urbanising contexts where land-use planning, housing, transport, climate adaptation, and environmental management must operate in a coordinated manner. In Ghana, mixed-use development (MUD) is widely promoted in policy discourse as a strategy to improve land-use efficiency, reduce urban sprawl, and support more compact and inclusive urban growth, yet the extent to which relevant national policies are aligned remains underexplored. This study examines policy coherence in Ghana’s national urban planning and development framework and its implications for sustainable MUD. Using a qualitative deductive content-analysis approach, nine national policy documents were analysed through five MUD drivers (urban land-use efficiency, climate resilience, environmental sustainability, social equity and inclusivity, and economic vitality) and four implementation dimensions (action measures, institutional arrangements, resources, and monitoring and evaluation). The findings reveal only partial policy alignment. Coherence is relatively stronger around land-use efficiency and selected compact-development goals, but much weaker in relation to institutional coordination, financing, monitoring systems, affordable housing, active mobility, and the integration of land-use and transport policy. The study argues that policy incoherence in Ghana is not only a sectoral problem but also an institutional and political one, shaped by fragmented mandates, uneven implementation capacity, and the interaction between statutory planning and plural land tenure systems. It concludes by recommending stronger inter-agency coordination, clearer implementation responsibilities, better integration of land-use and transport, more robust monitoring systems, and explicit financing pathways for sustainable urban development.