Appraisal of Housing and City Liveability in the South-West, Nigeria

Abstract

This research thesis examined issues on Housing and City Livability in Ogbomosho, Oyo state, Nigeria, with a view to determine urban planning efforts at addressing the issue. The modern age is an age of urbanization, where villages are fast growing into towns and towns into cities. The rate of urbanization in Nigeria is considered as one of the highest in the world. Rapid urbanization exerts strong impact on the housing characteristics and the livability of cities. This makes housing problems in terms of their quality a serious concern and also the qualities that makes city livable in terms of roads, water supply, waste disposal method, availability of industries, power supply, accessibility to market, and crime rate in Ogbomosho. The research examined the socio economic characteristics of residents in the study area, access the physical infrastructures in the study area, access the condition of buildings in the area, and carry out the enumeration on the types of houses in the study area. Using systematic random sampling technique, data were collected with the aid of structured questionnaires. Interviews were held to complement data from questionnaire survey while descriptive statistic methods were employed to resolve the objectives set for the study. Findings reveal the socio-economic characteristics of residents and its effects on physical environment of the area. Majority of the houses has one defect or the other. The study showed inadequate provision of facilities such as pipe – borne water, erratic power supply, poor solid waste management and presence of substandard houses in the study area. However, there is urgent need for enforcement of planning regulations to improve the housing quality and facilities in the study area. In conclusion, it is therefore necessary for a vital agency(s) be assigned the responsibility of creating and implementing a comprehensive, coordinated housing program for Ogbomosho, condemnation and forced removal of dilapidated structures in terms of inspection, legal services and administration. This research recommends development of a research data base, redevelopment and upgrading of existing facilities, economic revitalization of the area, and use of birth control put forward as policy guidelines toward a sustainable management of Ogbomosho.