Urban Development and Housing Demolition in Abuja City: The Benefits of Adopting the Principles of Sustainability

Abstract

In the last thirty years, Abuja the Federal Capital of Nigeria has experienced rapid urbanisation in a formerly agrarian community. The city has been developing prior to the emergence of the master plan, which is influenced by the rapid rate of construction. The critical need of vital infrastructure for the ever-increasing population in Nigeria’s capital has led to an increase in informal settlement and demand for more housing and other associated services. The present city differs from its initial master plan so far, as there is a real spatial segregation between low and high-income groups. And it’s relegates the low income earners to informal settlements which do not meet people’s basic needs. This journal paper critically analyses the impact of different planning policies and the schemes under which the city has been expanding, which includes housing demolitions to maintain the master plan. This result shows a clear demonstration that the policies regarding the demolition of informal settlements are not the best solution to the Abuja master plan and it is socially/economically unsustainable but rather there are potential benefits in the adaptation of sustainability principles in the urban development of Abuja city.