Ibadan Journal of the Social Sciences
Volume 6, No. 1, 2008
Pages 68-78
DOI: 10.36108/ijss/8002.60.0170
Urban Development and Environmental Implications: The challenge of urban sustainability in Nigeria
F.B. Olorunfemi1
U.A. Raheem 2
1Deparment of Physical Development, Nigerian Institute of Social and Economic Research (NISER), Ibadan, Nigeria
2Department of Geography, University of Ilorin, Ilorin, Nigeria
Abstract
The impact of rapid urbanization has indeed become a major threat to the quality of urban environment, human health and urban productivity in Nigeria. It is therefore not surprising that the living environments in most cities in Nigeria are ‘life and health threatening’. Today’s urban environment in Nigeria is at best described as unsustainable. This situation poses a serious challenge to urban administrators, planners, other professionals as well as urban residents in the country. Poorly managed urban growth as obtained in Nigeria creates irreversible environmental and natural resources degradation with a concomitant increase in poverty. Urban environmental problems are exacerbated because policies do not account for environmental factors. In resolving the environmental implications of rapid urbanization in Nigeria, as articulated in this paper, there is need to apply sound principles of environmental management through the integration of environmental planning into development.
Keywords: Environmental planning, Nigeria, urbanization, urban sustainability, urban environmental problems