Speaker
Description
Environmental degradation is a severe challenge in the rapidly expanding cities in the Global South. Amidst the uncontrolled urban growth in low- and middle-income countries, a tendency prevails to follow the same environmentally destructive pathways and mindsets that the wealthier colonial powers have laid out in the past. The greatest obstacle is the mindset of contemporary societies: lack of environmental awareness, and the continuous exploitation of both natural and human resources. For sustainable urban planning, avoiding colonial practices requires new approaches that raise awareness and local appreciation of the environment as an intrinsic cultural value, and support cultural resilience against external abuse.
This paper debates decolonial approaches for landscape architecture and urban planning to promote a balanced human-nature relationship and create new tools for Sustainability Transition in Sub-Saharan Africa. It investigates a case study named Kumasi Trees – Project of the Hearts, which aims at re-greening the Ashanti capital of Kumasi in Ghana, by evoking local engagement and ownership and exploring local knowledge as a means for decolonisation to rediscover environmental values and cultural identities.
The study draws upon cultural ecology as its theoretical framework to examine the impact of rapid urban expansion on urban green spaces, local resilience, and cultural identity. Adopting a decolonial approach, the research employs indigenous local knowledge (ILK) and cultural narratives to facilitate community-based ecological restoration and enhance environmental awareness. To gain a comprehensive understanding of the cultural context of the urban landscape in Kumasi, the study employs an archival study and ethnographic fieldwork. Subsequently, action research and participatory methods are employed to facilitate community engagement, with the objective of linking climate adaptation initiatives with the strengthening of cultural identity in the urban landscape.
The paper reflects practices of engagement in the framework of Decolonial Thought (DT), questioning the universality of Eurocentric thinking. It acknowledges multiple value systems and advopts alternative knowledge bases stemming from other cultures, particularly those in Sub-Saharan Africa. The research contributes to the discourse on landscape architecture, urban planning and ILK by advocating for place-based, culturally sensitive design solutions as a decolonial framework for sustainable urban
development.
References
Sumida Huaman, E., & Martin, N. D. (2023). Indigenous Research Design: Transnational Perspectives in Practice. (1st ed.). Canadian Scholars.
Quagraine, V. K. (2011). Urban Landscape Depletion in the Kumasi Metropolis. In K. K. Adarkwa (Ed.), Future of the tree: Towards growth and development of Kumasi (pp. 212–233). University Printing Press (UPK), Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology.
| Keywords | Landscape Architecture; Climate adaptation; Indigenous Knowledge; Participatory Action Research |
|---|---|
| Best Congress Paper Award | Yes |
