Stephen Leonard Mensah
Biographic Data
| ID | 3513221 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Stephen Leonard Mensah |
| GIVEN NAMES | Stephen Leonard |
| FAMILY NAME | Mensah |
| SIGNATURE | MENSAH S L |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of Memphis |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-5621-9170 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 14 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 12 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 14 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2023 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 2 |
“The money is too big to ignore”: The logics of everyday speculations and the transformation of Ghana's peri-urban landscapes
Urban transition and environmental risks in overlooked small and medium-sized towns: Implications for (un)sustainable futures in Africa
In many global south cities, the gradual declines in growth rates in large urban centers and capital cities are being countered by the rapid growth and expansion of small and medium-sized towns. Yet, urban sustainability research is heavily centered on the so-called megacities of the global south, overlooking the emergence of small and medium-sized towns at the confluence of urban transition and sustainability dynamics. Drawing on the case of Som…
Walking cities that are (un)walkable: Exploring everyday lived realities in low-income neighbourhoods in Accra
Urban Governance and the Challenges of Sustainable Wastewater Management
Although wastewater can be considered a significant resource for augmenting domestic, agricultural, and industrial water supplies, drawbacks in its management result in environmental pollution. Using a mixed-methods approach, this study focused on understanding the realization of urban governance in wastewater management in Tema, Ghana. The key findings indicate that wastewater management is conducted in a restrictive environment, dictated by a l…
Secondary cities at the residential housing frontier: Examining the determinants of private renters’ residential satisfaction in Ghana
Self-built infrastructure interventions to (un)walkable streets: Pedestrian accessibility, safety and enjoyment in a neighbourhood in Accra
We are not the ones to blame: Stakeholders' conflicting rationalities in wetlands management in Ghana
The relevance of wetlands has re-gained attention in the global socioecological agenda as part of the resurgence of nature-based solutions (NbS) for sustainable development. In global south contexts, the socio-ecological relevance of wetlands has not prevented their rapid depletion in ecologically sensitive areas due to reactive environmental planning and plurality of resource management systems. Despite multiple vested interests around wetlands,…
Assessing differential socio-demographic impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic on urban livelihood capitals in suburban Accra, Ghana
Households’ access and expenditure on water services: Examining intra-urban differences in the Accra metropolis, Ghana
Despite years of investment into the water sector in Ghana, access to and expenditure on potable water for drinking and domestic use remain a challenge for most urban households. Within the urban context, however, the severity of water challenges varies from one residential community to another, with less research attention often given to such intra-urban differences. To address this gap, this study examines differences in household access and ex…
Faith-based organisations and disaster management in informal urban Accra
Disaster risks in African cities are compounding due to the triple convergence of climate change impacts, unplanned urbanisation, and entrenched socio-spatial inequities. Disaster events are, therefore, common with disproportionate impacts on informal residents yet resting within reactive and extremely limited disaster management regime that leaves behind many voids in disaster risk reduction. Drawing on a qualitative approach and situated in a d…
Social capital and community-driven development: A multi-group analysis of migrant and indigenous informal settlements in Greater Accra, Ghana
In sub-Saharan African cities, community-driven development has emerged as a collective response to entrenched socio-spatial inequalities and inappropriate local development planning responses to the challenges of informal settlements. Social capital is considered to stimulate such community-driven initiatives. There are also claims that social capital can impede the sustainable development of informal settlements. Yet, none of these streams pay …
Policy-reality gaps in Africa’s walking cities: Contextualizing institutional perspectives and residents’ lived experiences in Accra
This paper confronts the current policy landscape and lived experiences of walking in African cities through the lens of policies, plans, institutional, and residents’ narratives. The paper builds on qualitative evidence drawn from content analysis and semi-structured interviews with local-level stakeholders across policy sectors concerned directly or indirectly with walking and walkability in the city. Perspectives from local government institut…
A digital turn for urban management? Residents' perception and utilisation of the digital property address system in Accra, Ghana
Rapid urbanisation and its associated challenges in Global South countries have necessitated the use of digital technologies in urban management. Key to their successful utilisation for urban management is residents' perceptions and utilisation of these technologies. Yet, little attention has been given to this area of research. Using data gathered from a cross-sectional survey in three suburban communities, the study examined residents' percepti…
The moderating role of Covid-19-related support on urban livelihood capitals: Evidence from suburban Accra
In the Global South, the COVID-19 crisis has compelled varied efforts to quickly address the pandemic's impact on urban livelihoods. Families, friends as well as public, private, and civil society organizations have mobilized various resources to avert the pandemic's onslaught on the survival of the urban vulnerable. Indeed, there is a burgeoning ‘pandemic urban scholarship’ that shed insights on COVID-19 risks, local responses, and impacts on ev…
Social capital and community-driven development: A multi-group analysis of migrant and indigenous informal settlements in Greater Accra, Ghana
In sub-Saharan African cities, community-driven development has emerged as a collective response to entrenched socio-spatial inequalities and inappropriate local development planning responses to the challenges of informal settlements. Social capital is considered to stimulate such community-driven initiatives. There are also claims that social capital can impede the sustainable development of informal settlements. Yet, none of these streams pay …
Policy-reality gaps in Africa’s walking cities: Contextualizing institutional perspectives and residents’ lived experiences in Accra
This paper confronts the current policy landscape and lived experiences of walking in African cities through the lens of policies, plans, institutional, and residents’ narratives. The paper builds on qualitative evidence drawn from content analysis and semi-structured interviews with local-level stakeholders across policy sectors concerned directly or indirectly with walking and walkability in the city. Perspectives from local government institut…
A digital turn for urban management? Residents' perception and utilisation of the digital property address system in Accra, Ghana
Rapid urbanisation and its associated challenges in Global South countries have necessitated the use of digital technologies in urban management. Key to their successful utilisation for urban management is residents' perceptions and utilisation of these technologies. Yet, little attention has been given to this area of research. Using data gathered from a cross-sectional survey in three suburban communities, the study examined residents' percepti…
The moderating role of Covid-19-related support on urban livelihood capitals: Evidence from suburban Accra
In the Global South, the COVID-19 crisis has compelled varied efforts to quickly address the pandemic's impact on urban livelihoods. Families, friends as well as public, private, and civil society organizations have mobilized various resources to avert the pandemic's onslaught on the survival of the urban vulnerable. Indeed, there is a burgeoning ‘pandemic urban scholarship’ that shed insights on COVID-19 risks, local responses, and impacts on ev…
Households’ access and expenditure on water services: Examining intra-urban differences in the Accra metropolis, Ghana
Despite years of investment into the water sector in Ghana, access to and expenditure on potable water for drinking and domestic use remain a challenge for most urban households. Within the urban context, however, the severity of water challenges varies from one residential community to another, with less research attention often given to such intra-urban differences. To address this gap, this study examines differences in household access and ex…
Faith-based organisations and disaster management in informal urban Accra
Disaster risks in African cities are compounding due to the triple convergence of climate change impacts, unplanned urbanisation, and entrenched socio-spatial inequities. Disaster events are, therefore, common with disproportionate impacts on informal residents yet resting within reactive and extremely limited disaster management regime that leaves behind many voids in disaster risk reduction. Drawing on a qualitative approach and situated in a d…
A digital turn for urban management? Residents' perception and utilisation of the digital property address system in Accra, Ghana
Rapid urbanisation and its associated challenges in Global South countries have necessitated the use of digital technologies in urban management. Key to their successful utilisation for urban management is residents' perceptions and utilisation of these technologies. Yet, little attention has been given to this area of research. Using data gathered from a cross-sectional survey in three suburban communities, the study examined residents' percepti…
The moderating role of Covid-19-related support on urban livelihood capitals: Evidence from suburban Accra
In the Global South, the COVID-19 crisis has compelled varied efforts to quickly address the pandemic's impact on urban livelihoods. Families, friends as well as public, private, and civil society organizations have mobilized various resources to avert the pandemic's onslaught on the survival of the urban vulnerable. Indeed, there is a burgeoning ‘pandemic urban scholarship’ that shed insights on COVID-19 risks, local responses, and impacts on ev…
Assessing differential socio-demographic impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic on urban livelihood capitals in suburban Accra, Ghana
Households’ access and expenditure on water services: Examining intra-urban differences in the Accra metropolis, Ghana
Despite years of investment into the water sector in Ghana, access to and expenditure on potable water for drinking and domestic use remain a challenge for most urban households. Within the urban context, however, the severity of water challenges varies from one residential community to another, with less research attention often given to such intra-urban differences. To address this gap, this study examines differences in household access and ex…
Faith-based organisations and disaster management in informal urban Accra
Disaster risks in African cities are compounding due to the triple convergence of climate change impacts, unplanned urbanisation, and entrenched socio-spatial inequities. Disaster events are, therefore, common with disproportionate impacts on informal residents yet resting within reactive and extremely limited disaster management regime that leaves behind many voids in disaster risk reduction. Drawing on a qualitative approach and situated in a d…
Social capital and community-driven development: A multi-group analysis of migrant and indigenous informal settlements in Greater Accra, Ghana
In sub-Saharan African cities, community-driven development has emerged as a collective response to entrenched socio-spatial inequalities and inappropriate local development planning responses to the challenges of informal settlements. Social capital is considered to stimulate such community-driven initiatives. There are also claims that social capital can impede the sustainable development of informal settlements. Yet, none of these streams pay …
Policy-reality gaps in Africa’s walking cities: Contextualizing institutional perspectives and residents’ lived experiences in Accra
This paper confronts the current policy landscape and lived experiences of walking in African cities through the lens of policies, plans, institutional, and residents’ narratives. The paper builds on qualitative evidence drawn from content analysis and semi-structured interviews with local-level stakeholders across policy sectors concerned directly or indirectly with walking and walkability in the city. Perspectives from local government institut…
Secondary cities at the residential housing frontier: Examining the determinants of private renters’ residential satisfaction in Ghana
Self-built infrastructure interventions to (un)walkable streets: Pedestrian accessibility, safety and enjoyment in a neighbourhood in Accra
We are not the ones to blame: Stakeholders' conflicting rationalities in wetlands management in Ghana
The relevance of wetlands has re-gained attention in the global socioecological agenda as part of the resurgence of nature-based solutions (NbS) for sustainable development. In global south contexts, the socio-ecological relevance of wetlands has not prevented their rapid depletion in ecologically sensitive areas due to reactive environmental planning and plurality of resource management systems. Despite multiple vested interests around wetlands,…
“The money is too big to ignore”: The logics of everyday speculations and the transformation of Ghana's peri-urban landscapes
Urban transition and environmental risks in overlooked small and medium-sized towns: Implications for (un)sustainable futures in Africa
In many global south cities, the gradual declines in growth rates in large urban centers and capital cities are being countered by the rapid growth and expansion of small and medium-sized towns. Yet, urban sustainability research is heavily centered on the so-called megacities of the global south, overlooking the emergence of small and medium-sized towns at the confluence of urban transition and sustainability dynamics. Drawing on the case of Som…
Walking cities that are (un)walkable: Exploring everyday lived realities in low-income neighbourhoods in Accra
Urban Governance and the Challenges of Sustainable Wastewater Management
Although wastewater can be considered a significant resource for augmenting domestic, agricultural, and industrial water supplies, drawbacks in its management result in environmental pollution. Using a mixed-methods approach, this study focused on understanding the realization of urban governance in wastewater management in Tema, Ghana. The key findings indicate that wastewater management is conducted in a restrictive environment, dictated by a l…
Geography (11 works) · Urban and Rural Development Challenges (11 works) · Economics (9 works) · Economic growth (8 works) · Business (7 works) · Political science (6 works) · Socioeconomics (6 works) · Environmental planning (4 works) · Sociology (4 works) · Water Governance and Infrastructure (4 works)