Urbanization and Housing for Low-Income Earners in Nigeria: A Review of Features, Challenges and Prospects

Abstract

This review paper examines urbanization and housing for low-income Nigerians. The aim is to provide a better understanding of the ways in which urbanization has progressed and impacted negatively on housing for the low-income urban residents, and the possible strategies for ameliorating this situation in Nigeria. Drawing on a systematic review of published literature, the paper reveals that urbanization in Nigeria has manifested in rapid population increase, transformation of erstwhile rural to urban settlements and emergence of primate cities. It identified the main drivers of urbanization in Nigeria to include natural population increase, economic and religious activities, state policies on reclassification of settlements and decentralization of governance structure. The study also found that urbanization has exacerbated housing challenges among low-income earners by promoting the proliferation of urban slums and poverty; and that these challenges have persisted and are escalating unabated due to the emphasis on top-down approach to social housing and the lack of understanding of the specific housing delivery strategies that can be engaged in resolving these challenges in Nigeria. The paper concludes that since urbanization will intensify in years to come, there is the need for a change of approach by engaging in strategies that promote participatory and assisted self-help housing among low-income people to prevent the current situation from degenerating further.

DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2016.v7n3s1p347