Dr. Kwame Adinkrah Advocates for Cleaner Streets to Preserve Kumasi’s Garden City Legacy.
A new study by Dr. Kwame (Luther King) Adinkrah highlights the need for stricter oversight of outdoor advertising in Kumasi, warning that the uncontrolled spread of billboards is threatening the city’s historic Garden City image. The research further underscores how visual clutter affects residents’ well-being and exposes weaknesses in urban regulation.
For Dr. Adinkrah, a PhD graduate in Visual Communication Design from Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Kumasi, the “Garden City” label is not merely historical.
“This is more than a colonial tag. It represents a practical urban model that balances greenery with city life,” he explained.
Tracing the concept to Ebenezer Howard’s 1897 vision of self-contained, green urban settlements, Dr. Adinkrah notes that Kumasi naturally embodied these principles long before the United Nations defined Sustainable Development Goal 11 on sustainable cities.
“Kumasi led the way in sustainable urban design, even before SDG 11 existed,” he said.
Yet today, the city faces what he calls a growing threat of “visual pollution.” According to the researcher, the rapid increase in billboards is disrupting the city’s appearance.
“Kumasi risks becoming a city dominated by advertising hoardings rather than parks and open spaces. Many of our former green areas have been rezoned due to urban expansion,” he said.
Dr. Adinkrah’s doctoral research, Visual Pollution and Urban Livability in Kumasi, examined how billboards affect the city’s identity, residents’ mental health, and the effectiveness of local governance. Visual pollution is defined as clutter that overwhelms the visual environment and creates stress.
The study surveyed 375 residents, interviewed officials from the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA), conducted field observations, and reviewed relevant documents. Results show that most respondents view billboards as a major contributor to visual clutter, with 71% noting an increase in the past five years. Over half linked the proliferation to stress, mood changes, and reduced neighborhood satisfaction. High-traffic areas like Kejetia, Adum, Santasi Roundabout, and Suame Roundabout were particularly affected.
Excessive billboards, the study notes, not only dilute advertising effectiveness but also compromise the city’s cultural identity and visual coherence. Regulatory gaps were also highlighted.
“We currently lack clear rules for billboard placement, and enforcement is weak. Revenue dependency on permits further complicates the issue,” Dr. Adinkrah explained.
He recommends establishing a Kumasi Beautification Council, an independent body to regulate billboard size, quantity, style, color, and content. He cites São Paulo’s Clean City Law and similar Scandinavian models as successful examples of visual regulation.
“Visual pollution is more than an eyesore—it is a public health, cultural, and governance concern. Awareness and proper regulation can restore Kumasi’s Garden City character,” he said.
Dr. Adinkrah emphasized that his commitment goes beyond research.
“I intend to advocate for these changes and serve as an ambassador for my study,” he concluded.