Inhabitants perspectives on the adequacy of the compound house in Ayigya, Kumasi, Ghana

This study started with the assumption that the compound house, a vernacular housing form in Ghana, could be an adequate low income housing alternative. Compound houses have accommodated the low income population in Ghana, where the population growth, limited housing production, lack of basic facilities, services and infrastructure and the deterioration of the existing housing have left basic shelter out of the reach of the most low income households. Compound houses are low cost, easy to build, thus affordable. They have a pure architectural form and a clear space hierarchy thus they are adaptable. They allow multi-habitation encouraging communal life and providing security. On the other hand, they are large structures and building one is still costly for a low income household. They are overcrowded due to the densification, and their shared services and facilities are overloaded. Current housing policy in Ghana promotes single family houses, instead of compounds although they are expensive to build and they can house less people. Ignoring compound houses adds up to the housing shortage in the country, affecting mostly low income households. Compounds have potentials that make them worth reconsidering. They can be a housing alternative for the low income, but promoting them as a low income housing option brings questions of adequacy. They have potentials to be reconsidered, but they have problems as well. Since the Habitat Agenda (1996) states that access to a safe and healthy shelter and basic services are closely related to the general well-being of the people, it is vital to assess the adequacy of the compound houses. Besides, discussing the adequacy of the compound houses could present insights to improve them and describe the policy environment to enable their provision. Regarding the contextual aspect of adequacy, it was essential to evaluate the compound house according to the perspectives of its inhabitants, since they had the most accurate vision on it. On the other hand, adequate shelter definition of the Habitat Agenda (1996) and the criteria of the right to adequate housing by UNHCHR (1991) provided the ideal framework to assess the adequacy of the compound house. In this framework, an objective discussion on the adequacy of compound houses was considered to be the most viable way to present them as an adequate low income housing option. Therefore the primary research question was: How can the housing perceptions, aspirations and needs of the compound house inhabitants be translated into: Spatial and technical improvements to make the compound house an adequate low income housing option? How can a policy environment enable the provision of the compound house as an adequate low-income housing option? The research addressing this question was a case study, exploring the current situation of "the compound house" within a specific neighbourhood in Kumasi, Ghana: Ayigya. Two household surveys were conducted in Ayigya; the general household survey gathered basic socio-economic data and general data on housing and household characteristics, while the compound specific household survey was designed to get inhabitants views regarding the criteria on the right to adequate housing. In-depth interviews were conducted with the key informants from academia, the local government and to the traditional authority. Observations were documented by a transect walk. The research highlighted that the compound houses in Ayigya were generally inadequate. They were rather satisfactory on some criteria on the right to adequate housing, but they were quite problematic on others. The research mostly verified and consolidated the findings of previous studies carried out in Kumasi. It also described the instances contradicting them, contributing to the on-going discussion on promoting compound houses as an urban low income housing form. Findings of the research would probably apply not only to Ayigya, but to most of the compound house neighbourhoods in Ghana, though the severity of the conditions might differ. The validity of this research depends on its ability to inspire new studies and to give insights for the actual physical improvements and policy implementations, since it is basically an assessment of the existing situation of a housing form. It is hoped that, revealing the inhabitants perspectives on compound houses would contribute to a change in the government approach, with innovative solutions to the housing problem of the low income, respecting existing forms of housing provision, local architecture and community participation.