Settlement Systems

The population of urban towns/communities in the District is growing progressively as compared to the population of the rural communities/settlements which are though growing but at a constant rate. Land developers who come into the District as a result of comparative/competitive advantage in price of land for residential, commercial and other purposes have also resulted in population increase in these urban towns. Just a few population who are interested and do not have numerous choice of economic activities and those who prefer the living conditions of the rural setting continue to dwell in the rural communities and that results in the constant rate of population increase.

This stage of the analysis deals with organization of human and economic activities in space with regard to the Berekum West District. This approach to Development Planning is concerned with the social and economic functions that settlements perform and how in combination they form a pattern or system that can influence economic and social development in the District as a whole.

The approach uses a combination of methods to determine the spatial pattern or system of development. Those considered important for analysis of Berekum West Districts Spatial Organization are:

• Scalogram Analysis

• Surface Accessibility Analysis

Settlement Systems and Linkages

The settlement system and spatial linkages have been analyzed using Scalogram analysis. The services considered include both social and economic facilities in nineteen (19) communities. In terms of services and infrastructure distribution these communities enjoy the concentration of health facilities, electricity supply, educational facilities, pipe borne water supply, agricultural extension services, banking, police etc.

Majority of the settlements in the District are hamlets, villages, and towns. 41.4 % of the total population lives in urban centres while the rest (58.6%) live in towns, villages, and hamlets.

Functional Hierarchy of Settlements

The analysis of the scalogram was used to come out with the functional hierarchy of settlements in the District. Here, the communities were arranged in a hierarchical order based on the level of their functional complexity. The criteria for the ordering of communities by functions are shown below;

Hierarchy of Settlements

In all, 19 settlements with population above 500 were considered whilst a total number of 25 services were also adopted for the scalogram. The hierarchy of settlements was derived from the centrality indices.  In all, four (4) levels of hierarchy were derived.  Jinijini, the district capital with a population of 12,362 was found to be the only level one (1st) settlement, having 16 services followed by Fetentaa (9), Adom (7), Koraso (9), and Jamdede (9). Nsapor (9), Domfete (9), Ayimom (5), Nkyenkyemam (6), Botokrom (7), Nkantanka (7), Amankowa Newtown (7), Nanasuano (8), Benkasa (8), Abisaase (7), and Amomaso (8) as the level two (2nd) settlements whilst three other settlements (Tewbabi-6, Abi-4 and Abansere-1 fell in the third (3rd) settlement category.

The important issue to consider here is the distribution (that is the equality / inequality) of the services among the settlements.  It could be realized that settlements with a population above 1,000, have more services and, therefore, are playing an important role in the lives of their population. On the other hand, settlements with populations below 1,000 have fewer services.  

This goes a long way to demonstrate that most services are provided based on the threshold population required for that particular facility i.e. boreholes, hospitals, clinics, electricity, post offices, etc. The cause of these inequalities or unequal distribution of services can therefore be attributed, to a great extent, to the populations of these settlements.

This inequality can also be attributed to the location advantage that some communities have over others. The spatial inequality can basically be attributed to two major factors namely the population and location of the settlement. However, there is the need to adopt appropriate strategies to curb spatial inequality by providing development projects to towns, which qualify for urban development projects and services to enable them play key functions and thereby bridging the infrastructural gap.

To achieve a balanced development, emphasis should be on the growth of second order and third order settlements. The following is the outcome of the analysis of the functional hierarchy of settlements. There is a strong correlation between population and service distribution.

The distribution of services and facilities are skewed towards urban centres especially Jinijini and its environs. The most common services and facilities (example: Primary & Junior High Schools and Electricity) are of the low order and need to be upgraded for the other settlements to assume central place status to serve their surrounding hinterlands.

Most of the populated settlements however have access to basic services and facilities such as primary and junior high schools, electricity, potable water with those low populated areas having fewer accesses to social amenities.

Spatial Distribution of Population by Settlement

Berekum District has an estimated total population of 79,656 using the Berekum East Municipal Population as its basis with a growth rate of 2.5%. The higher percentage of rural areas (58.6%) makes it difficult for planning and the provision of social and infrastructure such as boreholes and other water facilities due to the lower threshold. Most of the communities in this vein have their basic needs unmet and as such wallow in low living standards. The low population of most of the communities stem from the fact that the people are predominantly engaged in agriculture. The desire to obtain sufficient farm size holdings has necessitated people to move into less settled areas.

Berekum West District has an estimated population of 79,656 as at 2018.

Female population constitute 42,855 (53.8%) of the entire population of the District while that of the male population constitute 36,801 (46.2%).

Population Growth and Size

The population of the Berekum West District in 2010 was 50,749 based on a selection of twenty communities out of these figures, 25,324 (49.9%) are males and 25,425 are females representing (50.1). The current projected population of the District for 2018 is 79,656.

Characteristics, Potentials and Problems of Rural, Peri-Urban and Urban Settlements

i. Characteristics of the Rural Settlements

• The rural areas are mostly deprived of most basic services like health and water facilities.

• The rural settlements are mainly agrarian.

Potentials of the Rural Settlements

• The rural areas have tourism development potentials.

• The communal spirit of the rural areas is very high.

• Lands are fertile for agricultural development.

Problems of the Rural Settlements

• Poor road conditions.

• Inadequate basic services distribution.

• Land degradation/Erosion of the built environment.

ii. Characteristics of the Peri-Urban Settlements

• The peri-urban settlements have large populations.

• The peri-urban settlements serve as dormitory towns.

• Services distribution does not match with population size.

Characteristics of the Urban Settlements

• Services distribution does not match with population size.

• Myriad commercial activities along major roads.

Potentials of the Urban Settlements

• High labour force due to the high population of the urban areas.

• Relatively good condition of roads linking other urban areas which enhance economic development.

• The high population has the potential of widening the revenue base of the District Assembly.

• The high population is also a potential for increasing commercial activities.

Problems of the Urban Settlements

• Poor sanitation.

• Inadequate basic services and facilities.

• Encroachment on public lands and open spaces.

• Congestion of market and public places

Distribution of Facilities

There are about 24 settlements and over in the District. The major ones are Jinijini, Jamdede, Fetentaa, Adom, Koraso, Nsapor and Domfete. 58.6% of the population lives in the rural area. Service distribution is positively related to population.  Distribution of service is skewed towards urban settlements to the detriment of the rural areas. Communities with higher population generally have higher number of services. General observation indicates that few services or facilities are concentrated in Jinijini, Domfete and Jamdede than others. Many of the communities in the District are deficient in service facilities.

Transport and communications, pipe borne water supply, electricity and sanitary facilities are complementary utilities that enhance the economic and social prosperity of the people.

The analysis of the current situation reveals that the absence of these facilities in the rural areas is the main reasons for the migration of the youth to the urban centers. This phenomenon has a serious repercussion for the development of the District as it is deprived of labor that could have been engaged in productive work in the rural areas.

Spatial Distribution of Facilities

Services and facilities were considered under the broad sectors of Education, Governance, Social Services, Water, Economy, Sanitation and Health. This was done to know how services and facilities are spatially distributed in the District. The varieties and levels of each service and facility were also determined as well as the levels of function performed by each of the communities. With reference to the planning standards and the spatial distribution of population, it can be said that, the population distribution does not match the services and facilities distribution. The report looks at the infrastructural facilities and other services distributed in the District and the degree at which settlements depend on one another in terms of the provision of services and functions they perform.