Assessing the sustainable urban development-urban liveability-inclusive physical development nexus in selected cities in north-central Nigeria.
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Date
2022
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Abstract
The continuous increase in the urban population worldwide has exacerbated the intensity of
urban land use conversion and spatial consumption. This motivation for a better urban space
led to the evolution of sustainable urban development, urban liveability, environmental
awareness, inclusivity, and urban governance. Therefore, this research aimed to establish the
intricate links between sustainable urban development, urban liveability, and inclusive physical
development in selected cities in North-Central Nigeria. The theories examined were Citizen
Participation, Dependency, Modernisation, and Infrastructure. The selected cities were Lokoja,
Lafia, and Minna, all incidentally equidistant to Abuja, the Federal Capital City of Nigeria.
This research employed a mixed-methods approach by collecting both qualitative and
quantitative data. These data sets ranged from satellite imageries used for the spatio-temporal
analysis and urban growth simulation through ArcGIS, Q-GIS, and the Artificial Neural
Network. The extent of infrastructure provision and their methods were appraised using the
instrumentality of the nearest neighbour analysis and the partial least square analysis using the
SmartPLS. The research also appraised the stakeholders’ perceptions and methods of
infrastructure provision through a word cloud analysis using NVivo analytics. In analysing the
provision and condition of the infrastructure in North-Central Nigeria, educational
infrastructure was found to be inadequate and poorly maintained; inadequate budgetary
allocations exacerbated the problem of urban infrastructure overuse; illegal developments often
overtook sites reserved for infrastructure; and funding, vandalism, and project continuity were
cited as critical factors. The infrastructure that suffered the highest maintenance neglect was
the urban water supply, education infrastructure, and the health care facilities. Political
motivation and the population played the most significant roles in the region's urban
infrastructure or project development. The triad of consumption, access, and equity was used
to evaluate Hangwurian City Development's (HCD) proposed sustainable urban infrastructure
development plan. Convergent validity was strong in the region, where the AVE was
significant at 0.56 or more. A compact development model was found to be a valuable indicator
for qualifying the cities. It was found that the challenge of planning regulation and siting of
infrastructure could be addressed effectively, however, the public and private sector promoters
of projects had to stick to their parts of the bargain. Cities across North-Central Nigeria had to
undertake citizen-focused infrastructure planning and development. Therefore, the researcher
concluded that city development and urban growth could be moderated through the
instrumentality of adequate infrastructure provision and planning to prioritise the needs and
desires of residents. This is achievable by adopting the Hangwurian City Development Model,
which helps to promote cities without ills.
Description
Doctoral Degree. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban.