Walking the Talk: Envisioning Walkable, Climate-Resilient Infrastructures in Accra, Ghana

Challenge being addressed

This project focuses on co-creating community visions for resilient and accessible futures through locally-designed infrastructure that supports walking. We will establish a Living Lab in an informal settlement in Accra, Ghana, to explore links between urban development, mobility (walkability), and climate resilience. Activities include co-design workshops, a cost-benefit and co-benefit analysis that will identify the potentials and trade-offs associated with prioritised infrastructures, and a pilot intervention that will showcase a community-defined pathway to a climate-resilient future.

Research impact

Short-term:

• Strengthened local capacities and secure resources for community-led innovation.
• A replicable Visioning methodology for similar contexts.
• A positive local perception of walking - as opposed to motorised and carbon-intensive mobility - as a key component of resilience.

Long-term:

• Improved climate literacy among marginalised urban groups.
• Increased collaboration across urban planning sectors.
• Shifts in urban development discourses, favouring sustainable, low-carbon models.

Funding

UCL Research Progression Award - Supporting ODA Initiatives 2024/2025

Project duration

November 2024 to April 2025

Project team and collaborators

• PI: Dr Thaisa Comelli (RDR, UCL)
• Co-I: Dr Daniel Oviedo (DPU, UCL)
• Co-I (international): Dr Louis Kusi Frimpong (UESD, Ghana)
• Research Assistant: Maria Jose Nieto Combariza

Additional links

UCL Research Progression Award: 14 Projects awarded to tackle challenges facing LMICs

Image: Provided by project partners in Ghana