Abstract
Contrary to common assumptions, the (re)emergence of organized shopping malls in Ghana is not a new development. Accounts of their existence date back to the pre-colonial era, when their character, status and operations were as popular as the malls of today. What is missing in current narratives is an analysis of how these malls—consisting of elegant apartment designs integrated with appreciable green spaces and centrally located food courts to entice visitors to lengthen their stay—impact the urban economy and the traditional retail structure. Using participant observation, semi-structured interviews and a survey, we examine the role of malls in the local economy and their possible ramifications on the retail structure. The paper interrogates whether the emerging malls can crowd out their seemingly ‘fortified’ informal predecessors. The results demonstrate two key findings. First, that positive outcome is intrinsically tied to the manner in which malls are conceptualized, especially with increasing trade liberalization and its reinvigorating impact on the informal retail structure. Our findings frame the continuity of the informal sector as important to the success of the malls. Second, that malls must respond positively to the rising demands and tastes of postmodern consumers and the middle class by investing in attractive, iconic architecture—or they risk being pushed out of business by the ever-growing activities of the informal retail sector. Our results are congruent with current literature that questions some of the conceptual and policy framings of informality, and we opine that such framing makes evident the sector’s significant contribution to urban poverty alleviation.
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Notes
Frankie’s Hotel and Restaurant is one of the most popular in the city of Accra, right on the popular “Oxford Street” of Osu, where life never sleeps. Its restaurant is open almost 24 h a day and widely known for its Ice Cream Parlour.
Tro-tro originated from a local (Ga) language “tro” which means three pence (pence being the penny) and a catch-all phrase for any public transport vehicle that is privately owned and can be hailed at points along its route. In the colonial days, the mass transit vehicle charged passengers three pence (coins used during the colonial days) per trip, and thus were referred to as “tro-tros”, and the name have struck ever since.
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Acknowledgments
We acknowledge the assistance of all anonymous reviewers for their comments and suggestions. We are particularly grateful to students of 2013/2014 academic year Level 400 GEOG 414 and GEOG 415 class (at the Department of Geography and Resource Development, University of Ghana), who contributed tremendously in the quantitative survey. However, the contents and interpretations in this article are the sole responsibility of the authors.
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The authors declare no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship and/or publication of this article.
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Oteng-Ababio, M., Arthur, I.K. (Dis)continuities in Scale, Scope and Complexities of the Space Economy: the Shopping Mall Experience in Ghana. Urban Forum 26, 151–169 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12132-014-9249-x
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12132-014-9249-x