By Sammy CRABBE
Infrastructure lays the foundation. Innovation provides momentum. But it is people families, entrepreneurs, artists, and workers who give cities permanence.
In Phase Four of the One Square Mile execution plan, we move beyond groundwork to bring life into the city through homes, parks, commercial spaces, and public institutions. This is where vision becomes everyday reality a place where ideas are lived, not just imagined.
Our goal is to create an inclusive, thriving community that attracts talent, investment, and belonging. In this phase, One Square Mile becomes not just a project, but a city with a soul.
The first residential communities – Digital living at its core
The city’s first residential zones won’t just provide shelter they’ll be models for the future of urban African living. Designed for a digital-first lifestyle, these communities will integrate smart home technology, fibre-optic connectivity, energy-efficient appliances, and solar-ready rooftops. Residents will monitor energy use, manage security, and request services via mobile apps.
Housing options will range from affordable units for young professionals to premium residences for investors and executives. Rent-to-own and cooperative models will ensure a broad cross-section of Ghanaians can own a piece of the future. These walkable neighborhoods will be built around green spaces to foster civic life, where technology enhances rather than replaces human connection.
Smart retail and mixed-use districts: Creating a 24-hour economy
Beyond homes, a vibrant city must offer places to work, shop, and socialize. The first mixed-use districts will be designed to support a 24-hour economy, blending residential, commercial, and recreational zones into a seamless experience.
Retail plazas will support both digital and physical commerce. Smart kiosks, contactless payment options, and online marketplaces will give artisans and startups access to customers around the clock. Cafés and coworking spaces will offer shaded outdoor seating, free public Wi-Fi, and charging stations.
Offices will be modular, hybrid-ready, and embedded within neighborhoods to shorten commutes and increase productivity. These will include hot desks, private suites, maker labs, and startup incubators. Cultural assets such as galleries, libraries, and digital museums will add depth to the economic landscape, fostering both innovation and heritage.
Green spaces and urban nature
In the One Square Mile, nature will be central, not peripheral. Parks, rooftop gardens, and green corridors will serve as lungs for the city, giving residents space to relax, play, and reconnect with the environment. Water-saving irrigation and indigenous plantings will support sustainability and biodiversity.
Fitness trails, football fields, basketball courts, and skate parks will be part of a broader wellness strategy, encouraging community and healthy lifestyles. A landmark urban park, combining art, ecology, and innovation, will host civic events, night markets, and open-air cinemas. Green living won’t be a luxury it will be the city’s way of life.
Digital public services – Smart governance, everyday convenience
A modern city must deliver seamless access to public services. Through a unified digital portal, residents will register businesses, pay taxes, access healthcare, book facilities, and participate in local governance without queues or paper forms.
Virtual town halls, online voting for local initiatives, and participatory budgeting will give residents a direct say in shaping their neighborhoods. Smart infrastructure including streetlights, waste management, public safety sensors, and traffic systems will ensure the city runs efficiently, transparently, and responsively.
Safety and security – Trust as the cornerstone
Safety is foundational to city life. The One Square Mile will adopt a people-centred, tech-enhanced approach to public safety. Intelligent surveillance systems will monitor public spaces respectfully and effectively, while predictive analytics will support crime prevention.
Residents will report issues and receive alerts through mobile apps, creating real-time communication between community members and patrol officers. Dedicated community liaison officers in each district will build trust and address local concerns, ensuring safety is shared, not imposed.
Smart fire and emergency services – Preparedness by design
A truly liveable city must be ready for emergencies. To address the current gaps in Ghana’s firefighting infrastructure, the One Square Mile will establish its own Fire and Emergency Authority from day one.
Smart fire stations will be strategically located and equipped with rapid-response vehicles, drones, and integrated alarm systems. Every building residential or commercial will be fitted with smart smoke detectors, sprinkler systems, and direct links to nearby fire stations.
Personnel will be trained to global standards through partnerships with international fire academies. Annual inspections and public education programs will promote safety awareness and ensure readiness. In this city, fire response won’t be an afterthought it will be a system designed into daily life.
The first residents – Seeding the culture of the city
The first residents will set the tone for everything that follows. They will be more than tenants they will be founders of a new culture. To attract a diverse and dynamic early community, incentive programs will target tech founders, educators, healthcare workers, artists, and families.
Benefits such as reduced lease rates, startup grants, leadership opportunities, and civic advisory roles will be offered to early adopters. The aim is to build a culture of entrepreneurship, community participation, and inclusion laying the foundation for a city that grows not just in size, but in spirit.
Conclusion – Where life, work, and dreams converge
Phase Four is where blueprints turn into boulevards and ideas become neighborhoods. This is the phase where the One Square Mile stops being a vision and starts being a place where children play in parks, entrepreneurs pitch their startups, and families build their futures.
Here, the One Square Mile comes alive not for machines or monuments, but for the people who will live, dream, and thrive in it. This is not just city-building; it is nation-building, one smart home and one vibrant community at a time.
>>>the writer is a PhD researcher specializing in blockchains and decentralized finance at the University of Bradford. He holds an MBA in International Marketing and a post-graduate certificate is research from the International University of Monaco. Sammy was the first president of the Ghana Business Outsourcing Association and developed Africa’s first data entry operation and Ghana’s first medical transcription company. He can be reached via [email protected]
