From the left, Image of Mixed-use estate developed by VRA PROPCo, to the Right, image of Organic township of Ghana
Author: Rita Hingorani
Ever wondered the difference between the organic township world that lies behind the walls of mixed use estates with likes such as Trasacco Valley, Appolonia City, Devtraco Courts, etc.?
Well, today we are going to dive into both worlds to understand what makes them so different from each other, when they both share – sometimes – the same residents who move in and out of the estates.
By now you may have realized that the term organic townships is used for the world outside the mixed use estates. Organic townships are the world of chaos, unplanned and poorly structured infrastructure, over-priced goods and services, visible poverty – materialistically, maritally, and sometimes cognitively.
Basically, it is the opposite of what mixed use estates are. Organic townships, also known as traditional townships or even more precisely – noman’s-land – is the place of hardship for people if they don’t earn enough money to keep up with the outrageous rising costs of fuel, rent, food, electricity and clothes. And education. Some people call it the place of corruption, crimes and the black market. That is at least how some people living within mixed use estates, almost anywhere in the world, view it.
Many people have mentioned that life within organic townships is very difficult to maintain financially compared to life within the mixed use estates. This is because of the over-priced goods and services, especially, the necessity goods such as electricity, water, internet, accommodations, and sometimes food. It is known as a world of poverty when it comes to marriage because many people have stated that finding a soul mate in organic townships seems to be more difficult than finding one in a mixed use estate.
This may be for some people due to the fact that dating in organic townships costs money that wouldn’t be spent to that extend when they are within mixed use estates. Cost of transportation, cost of buying drinks and meals at restaurants, spending of money for recreational activities, and cost of buying clothes for dates and makeup, can sometimes play a significant role in dating, which can be discouraging for the people who just may not have enough means to be able to afford going on frequent dates to meet the right partner.
As a result, many people claim that is the reason why Ghanaians are known in organic townships for marrying usually from 30 years going. In mixed use estates, however, many Ghanaians are known to be married already before 25 years old.
This may be because of the fact that life in mixed use estates differs significantly from that within organic townships, with life being comfortable in there already, either with the help of private or state-owned real estate developers. Anyhow, because of the well-planned, well-structured, mixed use estate world where commercial, residential and recreational zones are built in proximity to each other – saving transportation costs for work or recreation – people living in there find themselves living a far more comfortable life, where almost all their daily needs are just in walking distance to where they live. Thus, through the saving of transportation costs, they are able to have more disposable income to spend on preparing for dates and eventually, a wedding.
When it comes to education, people claim that the organic townships, especially, in developing countries such as in Africa, and some parts of Asia, for example, is usually far more expensive than the ones in some European countries. This leads many pupils to not being able to attend school or complete it because their guardians or families cannot afford to pay for their education.
This leads to a massive lack in cognitive skills among many older and younger generations since many lack the education they need to build their knowledge in life compared to those living in mixed use estates, who had, especially, the education they needed in there.
Organic townships, however, are a different world where many people do not feel that safe compared to when they are within mixed use estates. This is because organic townships are known for being more crime-prone compared to mixed use estates, since corruption is higher in there than within the realms of mixed use estates.
In all, organic townships and mixed use estates across the globe are two very different worlds. They differentiate from their infrastructure, the level of crimes and corruption that take place in both worlds, education level that is related to their cognition level, etc. The world would be happier place if more people knew they could live in mixed-use estates.
