Housing Development and Maintenance in the Tamale Metropolitan Area

Housing constitutes one of the most important basic needs of humankind, and occupies an elevated position in the social policy of many countries including Ghana. The provision of adequate housing in urban areas of Ghana has been very challenging with the demand for housing, far outstripping its supply in most of the major urban centres. In the same vein, the decay of existing housing stock resulting from poor home maintenance practices present another huge challenge to sustainable housing delivery, particularly in Tamale. Attempts at addressing the problem at the policy realm and within academic circles have almost invariably focused on expanding the housing stock through the development and delivery of new housing units. Little attention is paid to housing maintenance which constitutes a sustainable approach to promoting access to low income housing. This necessitated the investigation into the processes and pattern of housing development and maintenance in the Tamale Metropolitan Area, Ghana.