The Global and the Local: Urban Change in Cape Coast from Pre-Colonial Times to the Present

Abstract

This paper seeks to examine how global forces interact with the local ones to shape the urban landscape of Cape Coast, Ghana. Three distinct periods are examined: the pre-colonial and colonial periods; the post independence period; and the contemporary period. The findings of this study show that in each of these periods, Cape Coast was subjected to local and global forces, giving a distinctive image to the urban landscape. This was reflected in changes in the urban morphology, architecture and economic as well as social outcomes. The paper also demonstrates how some of these urban forms have mutated in response to changing socioeconomic, political and cultural circumstances.