A doctoral study by KNUST alumnus Dr. Kwame (Luther King) Adinkrah is reigniting conversation around Kumasi’s historic identity as the “Garden City of West Africa,” calling for stronger regulation of outdoor advertising to protect the city’s visual character and urban livability.
Dr. Adinkrah, a PhD graduate in Visual Communication Design from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), has drawn national attention to what he describes as the growing challenge of visual pollution in Kumasi. His research argues that the unchecked proliferation of billboards is gradually eroding the city’s aesthetic coherence, cultural symbolism, and psychological comfort for residents.
For Dr. Adinkrah, Kumasi’s Garden City identity is not simply a nostalgic title.
“The Garden City is not a colonial label of convenience. It is a proper urban model,” he explains.
Tracing the philosophy to Ebenezer Howard’s 1897 Garden City concept — an integration of vegetation, planning, and self-contained urban systems — he argues that Kumasi once embodied these principles organically, long before sustainable city models became globally codified under the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG 11).
However, his research highlights what he describes as a new and increasingly visible form of environmental degradation: visual pollution.
Through his doctoral thesis, Visual Pollution and Urban Livability in Kumasi, Dr. Adinkrah examined how billboard saturation is reshaping the city’s identity and affecting residents’ well-being. His study involved surveys of 375 residents, interviews with officials of the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA), observational audits, and document analysis.
Among his findings:
-
71% of respondents believe visual pollution has worsened in the past five years.
-
More than half linked billboard saturation to mood changes, stress, and declining neighbourhood satisfaction.
-
High-traffic areas such as Kejetia, Adum, Santasi Roundabout, and Suame Roundabout were identified as heavily affected.
Beyond the psychological impact, the study suggests that excessive billboards reduce communication effectiveness by flooding the visual field with competing messages, ultimately undermining both advertising efficiency and urban aesthetics.
Dr. Adinkrah also points to regulatory and governance gaps in outdoor advertising control, noting overlapping mandates and revenue dependencies that may affect enforcement.
As part of his recommendations, he proposes the establishment of a Kumasi Beautification Council — an independent body to regulate billboard placement, size, type, colour, and content. Drawing lessons from global examples such as São Paulo’s Clean City Law and Scandinavian zoning reforms, he advocates for stricter zoning laws, clearer design standards, urban greening initiatives, and stronger community participation.
Importantly, he frames visual pollution not merely as an aesthetic issue but as a public health, cultural, and governance concern.
“If consciously we talk about visual pollution, we can fix the issue and gradually return to the Garden City concept,” he says.
For the KNUST alumnus, the doctorate marks not an endpoint, but a beginning.
“I want to see a change. I will make sure I become the ambassador of my thesis.”
Dr. Kwame Adinkrah’s work reflects the University’s commitment to producing thought leaders whose research addresses real-world challenges and contributes meaningfully to sustainable urban development.
As KNUST continues to nurture scholars and innovators across disciplines, alumni like Dr. Adinkrah demonstrate how academic research can shape public discourse and inspire transformative action within our cities and communities.