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The burgeoning unplanned urbanisation and growing environmental risks across global South cities pose core questions to urban sustainability, planning theory and practice. Who are the agents of, and what are the control mechanisms in spatial plan preparation? To what extent are economic, social, and environmental sustainability principles considered and embedded in spatial plans and frameworks? And what are the possibilities for attaining sustainable urban future via spatial planning practice in the context of multi-level governance? Using Ghana as a case study, and critical literature review, interviews, and policy analysis, we contribute to the spatial planning and sustainability narrative in global South cities by evaluating the extent to which sustainability principles are integrated in Spatial Development Frameworks (SDFs) and Spatial plans (SPs) in Ghana. We show that whereas sustainability is entangled with spatial planning, integrating sustainability principles in contemporary multi-level governance continues to present a complex challenge in practice. The complexities necessitated the engagement of local and international planning firms to complement the efforts of street-level-bureaucrats (local planning officials) in the preparation of spatial development frameworks and plans. However, such collaborations did not result in comprehensive integration of sustainability principles in spatial plans in practice. Our study indicate that, the economic, social, and environmental principles of sustainability were marginally embedded in local spatial plans of the three-tier spatial planning system of Ghana. We argue that equitable prioritisation of the principles of sustainability are required to strengthen local based spatial planning practice. • Environmental risks in Global South cities raise significant challenges for urban sustainability. • Achieving a sustainable urban future through spatial planning practice within the context of multi-level governance is critical. • We argue for strengthening local-based spatial planning practice through a balanced consideration of sustainability principles. • We emphasise equitable prioritization of economic, social, and environmental sustainability principles in local spatial planning practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Meeting multiple, often competing objectives when seeking to sustainably intensify their agricultural operations is a constant challenge for smallholder farmers in Sub-Saharan Africa. Trade-offs between social, economic and environmental goals at different time and spatial scales need to be reconciled, making best use of scarce resources. This study explored how different types of farm households in Northwest Ghana, Eastern Burkina Faso and Central Malawi make choices about resource allocation and farming strategies, and how they manage the trade-offs encountered. It used both quantitative (questionnaire survey) and qualitative (household case studies) methods to identify trade-offs experienced by farmers and to analyse trade-off management strategies used by them. The 10 main trade-offs identified across the 3 countries occurred across sustainability domains, across time, across spatial scales, across types of farmers or a combination of these. Famers were disincentivized from prioritizing long-term sustainability in their farming operation by resource constraints to meet multiple farming and livelihood objectives, mainstream agricultural policies encouraging short-term productivity gains and adoption-focused interventions, which disregard the diversity of farming households. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the context of social integration theory, this paper explores the social outcomes of interactions between university students and indigenous Waala communities in the Wa Municipality, northwestern Ghana. Drawing on results from focus group discussions and in-depth interviews, weposit that social integration outcomes have been both positive and negative, the latter being predominant. In the positive domain, university students from varied ethnic backgrounds are socially accepted to live in shared rental accommodation by indigenous Waala families and by extension allowing for modest cross-cultural learning's and exchanges. University students, especially female students serve as role models in education to Waala youth, particularly, young girls - inspiring them to attain higher education. In the negative domain, the outcomes include conflicts between students and Waala families over varied ways of life, conflicts over rents and ejection of students from rental apartments, exploitation of students through application of higher rents and market prices of consumer goods and finally, increasing incidences of love relationships between students and indigenes leading to social tensions and undesirable outcomes. We therefore, argue that integration of students into the Waala community has been partial and underpinned by differentiated ways of lives, culture and conflicts that has undermined the process of acculturation. Thus, the paper advocates an integrated approach to Municipal Development Planning (MDP) through multi - stakeholder engagement for the promotion of education, platforms for dialogue, and strengthening institutions for dealing with emerging issues and conflicts arising from the processes of social integration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]