Land use planning as a tool for environmental management: A case of Tamale metropoplis

Abstract

Environmental degradation has been exacerbated where there has been absence or weak land use planning and regulations to ensure orderly human settlement development. The first land use plan for Tamale was formulated in 1969 for the period 1970 – 1985 and received statutory approval in 1975. The plan is still the legal frame-work within which developments are carried out This study investigated the problem of planning and development in Tamale which is not due to unavailability of layouts but rather the local plan implementation machinery to enforce compliance. To achieve this, 131 respondents aged from 18 years and above in five zones within the study area were sampled and interviewed. Five public institutions and the traditional land owners were also interviewed. The main finding of the study was that the preparations of land use plans were not participatory as the general public/community members were not involved. There was also no linkage between plan preparation and implementation. Coordination among agencies involved in land use planning was non existent. More importantly, it was established that land use plans have not been effective tools for managing the urban environment in the Tamale metropolis. It is recommended that the Metropolitan Assembly should employ qualified personnel as building inspectors and also provide adequate logistics to support the Works Department. Public education, coordination and cooperation among all stakeholders in the land use and planning process should be encouraged.