The changing face of Kumasi central, Ghana

This paper examines gentrification and redevelopment in the context of an ongoing phenomenon of changing traditional residential land uses into modern multi-purpose commercial and mixed uses in the Central Business District (CBD) of Kumasi, Ghana. The paper explores the implications of such changes towards understandings of gentrification and redevelopment of Kumasi. Using physical surveys, institutional interviews, and in-depth interviews with property owners, the paper reveals a gradual disappearance of traditional buildings in Kumasi central. This process of land use conversion is characterised by increasing land values, and mixed commercial and residential uses in the CBD. Given the considerable influence of land values in determining land use changes, the paper proposes a ‘land value’ gap as a theory for understanding the dynamics of gentrification and redevelopment in Kumasi.