An Analysis of Urban Infrastructure Sustainability Improvement Strategies

Sustainable infrastructure from government policies, and research has been identified as one of the key routes to achieving sustainable development goals. Despite this knowledge, scant attention has been given to the underlying sustainability improvement strategies of urban infrastructural development. Furthermore, there is a dearth of research that has concentrated on the sustainable improvement of urban infrastructures in Ghana. The study aims to address the identified knowledge gap by establishing the underlying sustainability improvement strategies for developing urban infrastructures in developing countries. A comprehensive literature review conducted identified key dimensions of urban infrastructure sustainability improvement strategies. Stochastic modelling premised on a pragmatist philosophical stance and deductive reasoning guided the epistemological positioning of this research. A questionnaire survey instrument was utilized to gather primary quantitative data from experts in urban infrastructure development. The study’s primary data were subjected to various analyses viz.: descriptive statistics, a relative importance index, and a one-sample t-test. The assessment of the reliability of the research was conducted using Cronbach’s alpha test. The urban infrastructure sustainability improvement strategies identified were the adoption of eco-friendly devices and practices, encouraging energy conservation behaviours, development of efficient recycling systems to reuse waste, development of technological innovations such as energy-saving technologies, incorporating of green roofs, parks, and water bodies into the design of the urban infrastructure, constructing energy-efficient buildings, among others. Emergent practical outcomes of this present study guide effort of various stakeholders by informing them of the sustainability improvement strategies of urban infrastructures. This research provides novel viewpoints on the emerging dialogue surrounding sustainable urban infrastructure advancements in Ghana. In addition, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study that ascertains the underlying sustainability improvement strategies in developing urban infrastructure in developing countries.