The manifestations of slums in Ghanaian cities have raised questions about sustainable urban planning and management. This paper assesses the socio-economic and environmental characteristics of slums in selected suburbs in Kumasi, the second largest city in Ghana, and further examines the approaches that have been used over the past decade to control the proliferation of slums. The paper also assesses the environmental impacts of these approaches in dealing with slums. Using empirical data from the selected suburban communities and decentralized government institutions, the study outlines the characteristics and challenges of selected slum interventions in the Kumasi metropolis over the past decade. It is revealed that slum interventions in Kumasi focus on the symptoms of slums and are less sensitive to the environment. This paper therefore proposes solutions that address the root causes of slum development to ensure the creation of environmentally live able, socially inclusive and sustainable urban environment.

Global statistics indicate that half of the world’s population live in urban areas and this figure is estimated to reach 4.7 billion in 2030 with an increasing decline in rural population (UN Commission on Human Settlement Programme (UNCHS), 2008; United Nation Population Fund (UNFPA), 2007). This raises sustainability concerns such as high energy demand, waste management challenges and inadequate housing provision. The increasing growth of urban population especially in developing countries consequentially leads to the growth of urban slums (UNCHS, 2003), as about 60 percent of residents of cities in the developing countries live in slums (UNCHS, 1986). This situation has weakened city authorities’ efforts in providing basic services such as housing for the urban population (Carter, 1981; Hardiman & Midgley, 1982).

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