Role of Policy and Planning in Promoting Urban Green Spaces

Policies provide distinct paths of action which are suitable for the pursuit of desired goals within a particular context, directing the decision making of a government, an organization or individual. Generally, public policies indicate decisions made by government or its agencies to either act, or not to act in order to resolve a problem. Public policy informs and guides planning. Urban green spaces have been found to be very beneficial to city dwellers in diverse ways and so the revelation by several studies that Kumasi is gradually losing its greenery is a matter of concern that deserves attention. Previous studies on green spaces in Kumasi have dwelled on the causes and effects of their depletion. None of these had specifically examined how policy and planning had failed to curb the situation. This study therefore sought to fill that knowledge gap by investigating the role of policy and planning in promoting urban green spaces. Qualitative methods were used for this study. The study first identified and reviewed seven policies related to urban green spaces with emphasis on the institutional and legislation backbone for their implementation.