Daniel Amenuvor
Doctor of Philosophy candidate
Urban Planning
Biography
Daniel is a PhD Candidate, awarded the Melbourne Research Scholarship, in the Faculty of Architecture, Building and Planning at the University of Melbourne, Australia. Prior to commencing his doctoral research, he worked as an Urban Planner with the Local Government Service (Ghana) and consulted for international development organizations, private firms, and non-governmental organizations. He also served as a Teaching and Research Assistant at the Department of Planning, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology and has over seven years of professional work experience in academia and industry.
Daniel graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree (First Class Honors) in Human Settlement Planning in 2015 and followed this up with a Master of Philosophy degree in Planning (2019), both from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (Ghana). He is an accredited member of the Ghana Institute of Planners (GIP) and the Commonwealth Association of Planners (CAP). His research interests lie in urban and transport planning, economic geography, and public policy. His doctoral research explores the potential of industrial park development in contributing to managing the effects of informal urbanization in Africa.
Thesis
Socio-spatial manifestation of industrial parks in Africa: location, land-use and impact analysis
African cities remain largely characterized by high levels of (informal) urbanization coupled with incommensurate industrial development. However, the industrialization-urbanization conundrum is rarely addressed in a systematic and interdisciplinary manner, as each is often addressed in its own right. This knowledge gap exists in scholarly literature despite the gradual emergence of industrial parks (IPs) in some African countries to spur their industrialization agenda. The aim of this research is to examine the potential of industrial park development in contributing to managing the informal nature of Africa’s rapid urbanization. The relationship between industrialization and urbanization in Africa within the context of the emerging IP development in the sub-region is established using a case study design involving three IPs in Ghana.
This research applies mixed methods involving household surveys and in-depth interviews, agency consultations, document review, and observations to gather data, and qualitative and quantitative analysis procedures in examining the contemporary phenomenon of IPs in Africa. The findings from this research will inform urban management and industrial development practices and policies to enhance the benefits of Africa’s informal urbanization while mitigating its harmful effects.