Decentralization, fragmentation and spatial planning. Innovating institutional process for integrated spatial planning in Ghana

Decentralisation in its political devolution sense tends to transfer authority with an effect of increasing details and scope of governance. This however fragments and consolidates authority in planning, favouring a “siloed” approach to decision making which hinders spatial planning conceptualised as a negotiated form of governance and requiring integration and collaboration across different spheres of authority. The study assesses how decentralised planning arrangements affect the implementation of spatial plans using a case study in Ghana. The framework of negotiated governance in spatial planning adopted, analyses the implementation arrangements of the plan considering derived elements including an intermediary, an interest to collaborate, bargaining to reach collaboration and enforcing implementation. Results from the analysis points out a gap in the manner of enforcing implementation of the spatial plan through collaboration. This is traced to an inherited regional gap in the planning system and in this regard, efforts were made to creating a supra body, “a regional platform” to remedy the situation. Amidst a lacking legal enforcing role, the study recommends a series of institutional processes to innovate the entrenched institutional arrangement to favour effective collaboration and integration in the implementation of the spatial plan.