An Appraisal of Housing and Neighbourhood Quality in Residential Estates in Akure, Nigeria

Abstract

This paper examines the quality of housing and the environment in two residential estates in Akure, the Ondo State capital, Nigeria. The two estates are situated at the fringe of the city; one was built by the state government and the other by the federal government. The paper reports findings from a research carried out on the housing estates. The presence and performance of public goods and services provided on community basis were examined and found to be deficient operationally. The material characteristics of the buildings and the physical environment in which they are situated were also examined. On both estates less than half of the buildings are sound and do not therefore require immediate repairs to bring them up to normative or structural quality. A few of the buildings are either dilapidated or require major repairs and are thus unfit for safe habitation. In spite of these however the residents generally are satisfied with the quality of their housing. The paper proffers recommendations on housing regeneration and the improvement of the quality of the neighbourhoods.

DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2016.v7n3s1p424