Engaging the Youth: Experiences and Perspectives in Transforming Family Compound Housing in Ghana´s Secondary Cities

Abstract

Traditional compound houses have been a longstanding feature of Ghanaian family life, providing a versatile housing solution for low-income urban households. These residential structures typically comprise several rooms surrounding a central courtyard, with multiple households sharing common facilities, such as bathrooms, toilets, and courtyards. Despite its role in accommodating rent-free households and fostering unity among extended family members, the compound house presents challenges, such as outdated architecture, overcrowding, lack of privacy, and poor sanitation. These factors, combined with the overburden, make dwelling in such accommodations less appealing to youth. However, due to the high cost of rent, land, and construction, youth in Wa, a secondary city in Ghana, have adopted housing transformation processes as a strategy to adapt the family compound house as an option to access housing in the city. This study employed a qualitative research approach, including interviews and focus group discussions, to examine the daily negotiations, compromises, and conflicts experienced by the youth in adapting to and staying in the family house. When attempting to gain access to communal spaces for extension, young individuals often need to first assist an uncle to either alter or add an extension before them. The findings reveal that the struggles of youth to find housing in the family house are constrained by the expectations of elderly family members, financial burden, and public health risks in the neighbourhood. Nevertheless, the emerging designs and improvements to the old architecture through transformations offer an affordable and adequate housing solution for youth amid rising housing stress in cities like Wa.