Achieving sustainable cities: analysis of the factors that influence compliance with telecommunication masts siting standards in Ghana

ABSTRACT

Factors that influence compliance with the standards that regulate the siting of telecommunication masts remain unclear in the conventional literature. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to assess the determinants of compliance with the standards that guide the siting of telecommunication masts in the Ghanaian context. The researchers obtained primary and secondary data from telecommunication operators and regulatory institutions . The results of the study showed that the level of compliance is influenced by the effectiveness of inspection and enforcement, land values and compensations paid for land, and rewards for compliance and penalties for noncompliance with the standards and guidelines. The policy compatibility analysis showed that the guidelines that guide the siting of telecommunication masts in Ghana is compatible with other sectoral policies that promotes environmental sustainability and the safety of human settlement. Through its decentralized agencies, the government should review and enforce the co-location policy to limit the proliferation of telecommunication masts in the cityscape.

KEYWORDS:

• Urban planning
• locational standards
• compliance
• telecommunication mast
• Ghana

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Supplementary material

Supplemental data for this article can be accessed online at https://doi.org/10.1080/21650020.2022.2159511