Situating Everyday Urban Struggles Within the Context of the SDGs in an Informal Settlement in Accra, Ghana

Abstract

In Ghana, the rhetoric of sustainable urban development permeates urban planning and policy. Yet, how this relates to those living at the margins and how their everyday urban struggles mirror the potentials and challenges of achieving the SDGs is rarely grasped. By using in-depth interviews with residents of Old Fadama, an informal settlement in Accra, this chapter analyses the everyday struggles of residents in relation to the SDGs. The chapter demonstrates that transforming the lives of informal settlement residents will help cities attain the SDGs beyond SDG11 that focuses primarily on promoting sustainable cities. Findings show that sustainable urban life for informal settlement residents are a distant reality. The chapter suggests the need for participatory actionable initiatives that mainstream multiple elements of the SDGs and residents’ everyday realities for a truly sustainable and inclusive urban development agenda that leaves no one behind.

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