Pwk. Yankson, Accommodating informal economic units in the urban built environment - Petty commodity enterprises in the Accra metropolitan Area, Ghana, THIRD WOR P, 22(3), 2000, pp. 313-334
This paper investigates the location of small-scale production and service
enterprises in Accra, Ghana. Despite a positive change in the attitude of t
he public sector towards the informal sector, Accra's informal economic uni
ts are yet to be adequately accommodated within the urban built environment
. Their development has not been promoted, nor their negative effects on th
e 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, t
he characteristics of their workshops and work sites and the effects of the
ir operations on the environment. It outlines the implications of these iss
ues and makes some recommendations for accommodating the enterprises within
the built environment of the Accra Metropolitan Area.