Accommodating informal economic units in the urban built environment: Petty commodity enterprises in the Accra Metropolitan Area, Ghana

Abstract

This paper investigates the location of small-scale production and service enterprises in Accra, Ghana. Despite a positive change in the attitude of the public sector towards the informal sector, Accra's informal economic units are yet to be adequately accommodated within the urban built environment. Their development has not been promoted, nor their negative effects on the environment reduced. The paper, using a case study of both house- and non-house-based small-scale production and service enterprises (petty commodity enterprises), addresses their site selection and locational preferences, the characteristics of their workshops and work sites and the effects of their operations on the environment. It outlines the implications of these issues and makes some recommendations for accommodating the enterprises within the built environment of the Accra Metropolitan Area.