Title: Surviving the cities: enhancing needs of asset adaptation strategies of urban poor in Accra and Tamale in Ghana

Authors: Fatima Eshun; Fatima Denton

Addresses: Department of Geography and Earth Science, University of Environment and Sustainable Development, PMB, Somanya, Eastern Region, Ghana ' United Nations University Institute of Natural Resources in Africa, University of Ghana, Ghana

Abstract: It has been estimated that cities harbour most of the urban poor who usually reside in slum areas and experience deplorable environmental conditions. To survive the city, it is crucial to enhance the asset adaptation strategies of the urban poor. However, studies on assets enhancement focus on a few aspects of assets whilst a detailed approach to assets enhancement such as human, physical, social, financial, and natural remain under research. To address this knowledge gap, this study employs both quantitative and qualitative approaches to investigate the phenomenon. The results indicate that the assets of the urban poor cannot stand their strategic needs and disempowers them. Enhancing the human assets of the urban poor can help in acquiring other forms of assets. The study recommends that private and public institutions should intensify efforts to enhance the asset adaptation strategies of the urban poor to become resilient.

Keywords: sustainable cities; vulnerabilities; resilient; climate change; COVID-19; livelihoods; Ghana.

DOI: 10.1504/IJSSOC.2024.139495

International Journal of Sustainable Society, 2024 Vol.16 No.2, pp.150 - 176

Received: 02 Dec 2021
Received in revised form: 14 Apr 2022
Accepted: 27 Oct 2022

Published online: 03 Jul 2024 *

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