Toward equitable urban development: Modeling urban livability and its associated spatial disparities in Greater Kumasi using remote sensing and GIS-MCE

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Cities in developing countries are rapidly urbanizing, often in ways that undermine urban livability. Yet, in Ghana, evidence on geographic disparities in livability conditions remains limited. We developed a comprehensive single-index urban livability (ULI) score based on 18 contextually relevant factors for Greater Kumasi in Ghana. Physical environmental factors were derived from Landsat 8 imagery; particulate matter (PM 2.5 ) was extracted from the Socioeconomic Data and Application Center (SEDAC). All other variables were derived from data obtained from OpenStreetMap. We used principal component analysis (PCA) to weight our variables and a weighted sum function to develop the final models. We then modeled population exposure to unlivable conditions and geographic disparities in the ULI scores. Results indicate that 39.7% of Greater Kumasi falls within the high to very high livability range, while 40% is categorized as unlivable. Kumasi Metro ranks highest overall, though it exhibits significant disparities in livability, with an entropy score of 2.67 (SD: 0.32). Social amenities and convenience were the strongest predictors of livability, with R 2 values of 85.6% and 76%, respectively, while the health sub-model showed weaker correlations (R 2 = 14%). We found pronounced geographic inequalities, especially in access to social services and environmental quality, with central areas enjoying more benefits than the outskirts. Based on the study’s findings, we offer recommendations for policymakers and urban planners to address these disparities and enhance urban livability.

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