1.1.0 INTRODUCTION
Architecture education cannot be dissociated from
socio-economic and environmental phenomena. Housing (1) type,
community settlement, squatter and slum mitigation, predominantly, play global
industrial development determinants.
Functionally, there are two dominant categories:
Geographical-cultural and socio-environmental, which is
further subdivided:
a)
Geographical-cultural: - Location, climate, culture and religion.
b)
Socio-environmental: - Occupational, political, material and permanency.
In our country and elsewhere, the foregoing influences the building types and a
range of community/shelter pattern. (2) However, temperature belt,
soil type, rain and vegetation within the region and its immediate
surroundings: several countries, cities or suburbia, account for the wide
variation, in habitat types, among homogenous people.
The rate and level of development, stage is seen as instrument of the state
intervention machinery, in land use ordinances, income/livelihood projects, as
well as level of affordability, that must understood by the student of
architecture, which incorporate conveniences, wastes disposal management a slum
and squatter mitigation.
Inadequate shelter in Nigeria, to address the issues raised during the World
Habitat Day, UNCHS: 33/193 (1978): 40/202A December 17th 1985,
and that of International year of shelter, 1987, together with the just
concluded and the up coming Habitat Afrique 2,000 as of June 28 – July 4, 1998
towards United Nation Housing for all
Ad (HFA/2000) is diagnosed, in both green and sustainable
terms as well as how the target group are empowered to avail of the solutions
contained herein. This presupposes a primary visit to the state capitals
of the geopolitical zone as a prerequisite to benefit from findings contained
in this manuscript. It is self-evident in statistical extrapolation under
the item number 2.2.0 and 2.3.0.1 and should be further reviewed with item number
3.0.0.1 together with the statistical outlay at the
appendix.
2.0
STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM: (LOW COST HOUSING SOLUTION TO URBANIZATION
ENVIRONMENT AND URBAN POVERTY
Adequate shelter is defined broadly than having a roof over
one’s head. It implies protection from the elements, hygienic disposal of
household and human waste, sufficient space (3) for health and
privacy, security of tenure of occupancy, availability of safe drinking water,
affordability, and access to employments, recreation and educational services
(1) that recognizes the urban poor as citizen who needs to house and to
be provided with assess to employment.
2.0.1 MAJOR:
Urbanization is associated with
development and job opportunity and attracts populations particularly the youth
who are desirous of greener pastures and sophistication obtainable in the
cities. It is linked with numerous social decadence such as homeless,
unemployed rent delinquency, hooliganism and alcoholism. Those who are badly
affected come from the low income family. Who need to be housed and
should be seen as a moral reasonability to our people. Failing which we are
culpable as architects who owe the society, and the client environmental
responsibility. This calls for the emancipation of the low-income families. Not
only to restore their existing stock of housing. To include those whose
housing conditions are incompatible with human status? To device
improvements of their shelter and surroundings, because they could not all be
catered for, the “Low income families” – The hardest hit is hereby opted for,
to include Civil Servants in the Universities to be equipped with the potential
for home ownership.
2.0.2 MINOR:
Homelessness includes tenants, owner-occupiers, the poor,
helpless, without access to land or financial resources, the aged, refugees and
derelicts in need of restoration and rehabilitation. (4)
2.0.3 OBJECTIVES:
1. Global –
Consequent upon the World Habitat Day Resolution: 33/193 (1978); 40/202A17/12/85:
October 1986 etc; the International Year of Shelter (IYSH) 1987, to provide
information on Non-government Organization’s Community action, relative to
shelter and neighbourhood in developing world, and habitat Afrique, 28
June - 4 July 1998: including:
2.
Strengthening co-operation and exchange of information among non-government
agencies and community groups.
3. Reaching
out to a wider audience in developed and developing countries, to include
professionals as active partners please refer to item 3.30.0 (P40) under World
Bank and Internationalization, the 6-policy statement on Housing.
4.
Local – Creating awareness about the severity and magnitude of
low- income
housing problem as follows:
5.
Establishing public/private co-operation and political support, in both words
and action, to support the homeless, or inadequacies.
6.
Defining a course of action and prioritizing shelter programmes, reflective of
policies, aimed at its realization.
7.
Offering responsibilities, for the principal actors effectively to avert
duplication via data
banks.
8.
Incentives to encourage people to access low-income housing with
infrastructure, ancillaries, land, material and finance.
2.0.4
Government Direct Participation
The aim of the Federal Government in participation directly
in the provision of accommodation is:
1. To ensure that all Nigerians own or have access to
decent housing accommodation of affordable cost by the year 2000 A.D.
2.
To eradicate slum settlements and all other sub-standard living environment.
3.
To reduce to the barest minimum the movement of people from rural to urban
area.
4.
To ensure that money realized during the oil boom era is judiciously
spent. In
other to achieve these, government shall
i) Encourage and promote active participation
in housing delivery by all tiers of government.
ii) Strengthen the institutions within the
system to render their operations more responsive to demand.
iii) Provide the basic infrastructures
needed in the rural area, thus reducing rural-urban migration.
iv)
Improving the quality of housing in the rural area.
2.1.0
Significance:
The education of the architect involves a thorough
appreciation of both the societal problem and corresponding solutions. Ranging
from the population eligible for assistance, sources of fund, the science and
the economics applicable material, tropical implications and how best to
articulate the total built environment a responsibility. Primarily
the amelioration of the Low-income families predicaments is complex. And
constitutes one of the major barriers, to an ambient environment. It
could be reinforced by the application of the British born architect, John
Turner’s principles; coupled with site and services etc. (7)
Secondly; emphatically, deficiencies quantitatively and qualitatively, is a
universal problem, so far for Nigeria , particularly noticeable in urban areas,
where industrial, commercial, administrative ventures, together with
population, are growing alarmingly.
Thirdly,
the exact magnitude of the quantitative shortage is unknown, due to the paucity
of essential data. However, based on information available, out of an
estimated population of about 1017 million people as of 1998, there is the need
to construct at least 8850,000 units, per annum; until the year 2000, out of which
200,000 units is for the urban centres, in addition, Lagos was noted as one of
the cities globally, with the highest rate of occupancy.
Obviously,
the standard of existing stock of low income housing, all over the region,
leaves much to be desired. For instance a large proportion of
the housing stock, lack basic sanitary facilities such as: pipe borne
water, flush toilets, electricity etc. Appendix ‘A’
Among
other factors, land acquisition constitutes one of the most serious
constraints, to the rapid expansion of general low income housing in the ward.
The Nigerian Federal Government and elsewhere in Africa therefore place hope on
the positive wisdom of the implementation, of the recommendations by the recent
land use panel.
2.2.0
Needs:
The need for a skilled contribution towards a planned
housing can not be over emphasized
A summary of the low – income-housing needs in the region
is based on the following:
(i)
To provide for the increasing urban population due to migration from rural
areas
(ii)
To relieve overcrowding in existing houses.
(iii)
House those presently without homes,
(iv)
Provide for the natural increase in the population.
(v)
Maintain existing stock of houses and replace dilapidated ones.
(vi)
Provide for improvements as income level and family sizes grow in the society.(10)
2.3.0
Method
Essentially normative and prescriptive approach, based on
annual delivery deterioration ratio, environmental awareness and maintenance
culture. Primarily, case studies of ‘KKK’, Philippines; Shin – Misato Danchi,
Saitama – ken, Japan; Festac Village, Lagos; Benin; Jos; Ugwuoba and Nike
housing (where the author is resident) respectively etc. (see
Appendix ‘B’, ‘C’ & ‘E’).
Collation
and valuation of data based on primary (visit and interview with questionnaires
to Abia, Anambra, Imo, Ebonyi Cross River and Rivers State respectively and
secondary sources: gazettes, brochures, books, magazines, etc comparatively
investigated. Added to a cross – sectional opinion poll of decision
channels, among the respondents. Three categories of mutually exclusive
groups: Low, medium and high income brackets, out of which two poverty margins,
35 and 65% of the mean per capita household expenditure, based on 1992 – 93,
1995 – 96 consumer surveys and demographics respectively. (Appendix
‘E’).
An
approximate of 850,000 units are required per state, sequel to the United
Nation habitat for all by AD/(HFA/2,000), i.e. a minimum of 5,000,000, for
which 8,000,000 would actualize the target. (11). Appendix ‘E’
2.3.1
Instrument
In order to obtain a detailed information, this
investigation started with a number of articles, notes and technical
journals. The data and information on which the monograph is based came
from two principal sources viz: -
1)
An interview search for published and unpublished material was made. at
the Federal Housing Authority (FHA) and Federal Ministries of Works and Housing
(FMW&H) were consulted.
2)
Interviews were also held with individuals (in organization and institutions)
who are well informed about housing and related affairs in their own state
throughout the South East
The
purpose of this interview was:
a)
To expose the availability of low-income housing and their related information.
b) To know their views on what they
considered issues and problems in low-income housing on which further research
is needed.
The
institutions contacted include: - Federal Ministry of Works and housing.
The Chief Estate Officer, Federal Housing Authority, Federal Mortgage Bank and
many other people with knowledge in the government housing policy.
2.3.2
Justification (Frequency Distribution):
a)
Data Frequency Distribution of
Respondents: Appendix F (55-57)
Adequacy
/ Insufficiency of low income housing for Nigeria UN Housing For All by AD (HFA
/2,000):
Available
Resources for Nigeria :
Number
Percentage
Enough
low income Housing Facilities
290
23.46
Not
enough low income Housing
Facilities
620
64.20
Other
comments on low income Housing Facilities 100
12.35
Total
1.010
100.00%
b) Formula:
Mean
Total
Number of Sample
Total
Number of Year of demand
Variation
N X2 – (X)2
N (N – 1)
where N= No of observations,
X=Observed value
Year: 1994 – 1998
2.3.3
Evaluation
Strategy-extrapolations were based on the NISH concept,
probing various aspects of households e.g. housing, health, education,
employment etc. General Household Survey (GHS) is the core modules, of
basic household annual data. Though a frequency interval of 3-5 years
supplemental modules, each of which concentrates on specifics, elaborately,
beyond GHS, necessarily, quarterly surveys on some aspects, labour force, and
family planning were integrated. Appendix ‘B’
2.3.4
Formulation
A dual denominator cluster approach, 1:6 rotations was
imposed to aid the computation of sampling error. The population strata
enumerators areas (Eas) randomly, forming the basic sample distribution.
Housing
units in chosen Eas are the basis of the survey, upon which subsequent (2nd)
denominators i.e. housing units rests. Respective households constituted
the denominators, in almost all enumerations and therefore inclusive, only few
contain more than one. Appendix ‘C’
2.3.5
Scope of the study
This
research is limited to impacts of the Federal Government Direct participation
in the provision of Housing Accommodation in the South East Geopolitical zone
of Nigeria. It further lay more emphasis on the Federal Housing
Authority’s performance since it is the federal government’s agents that are
involved in the implementation of the housing policy.
2.3.6
Limitations:
a)
Monitoring agencies data needed to compare with the ideals, see appendix.
b)
Reliability of information, of sectoral variations depends on precision
instrument.
c)
Coordinated private – public cooperative initiative is lacking.
d)
Land / property ownership, administration is improperly defined.
e)
Effective institutional loan scheme, for low income families specific needs to
be incorporated with the active insurances policy.
f)
Lack of maintenance culture.
g)
Abandonment of earmarked projects by subsequent regimes – unstable political
climate, etc sum up to in – built constraints.
2.3.7
CONSTRAINS:
The
initial documents nearly completed, was stolen at the front of headquarter Red
Cross society’s main building opposite main market Ogbete Enugu.
This made
the researcher to travel down to Abuja to obtain these information.
Others
include:
1) Religious instability in the
country also made it impossible to travel through out the states of the
federation to see all these housing estates.
2) Finance is also another
constraint that made the preparation of this research a difficult task.
3.0.0
LITERATURE REVIEW:
Housing
derives from human habitation, in the form of accommodation, livelihood or
employment, health, and state of ordered commonality.
3.0.1
Definition:
Housing
policies are state intervention instrument with which decent homes objective
are addressed, and secured for her people, which has always been shaped by
socio-equity, political, economic and environmental forces. In which
administrative development planning aspiration and the community’s needs are
marched for guided implementation. Therefore the enhancement and
consideration of these relationship in line with the concept of conservation,
orderliness and development of resources account for the welfare of the entire
population, which deserves to be emancipated, is an architectural function, for
society to be guided positively by its meaningful and accountable professional
contribution. These are of two folds and subdivided:
i.
Environmental-geographical: climate, material and permanent.
ii.
Socio-cultural: political, religion and occupational.
Failure to appreciate and assess the Total Economic Value
(TEV) of resources and imperfections of the price mechanism in shaping the
productivity has seen inadequacies of several operational policies (1).
If the losses must be addressed, than compensated for, in new man-made capital
terms, several other natural losses may outweigh the corresponding gains.
The critical problem involves losses in vital non-market service flows and
associated value of complimentary facilities such as infrastructures. The
trivialities of these are the more cogent forces adduced for the justification
of a pro people land and Housing Policies, dependent on “state power of eminent
domain.”
3.0.2
The Commercial rent of land: which is
simply a periodic payment, for the hire of land. Normally, there is
competition for land between the different potential users, the rent of land,
therefore, as with other factors, is determined, in the absence of any
government interference, by the market forces, beyond the rich of the low
income household.
3.1
Findings:
Housing policies and industrial philosophy should be
directed at the very long run, as opposed to the short-run, finance
reward. Conceived of organic built, green growth (12). With
the basic health, rationale biosphere and its husbandry, resources: air, water
and (the mineral etc) protection of nature and ecological vision on one hand,
striking a balance between self sufficient eco-system, to address environment
sensitive design approach on the other hand,(13) as enunciated in
the series of global international conferences; Sweden-Stockholm, 1972;
Rio-de-Janeiro requiring design specific input. The principles of new
evaluation and assessment for conservation initiative 1992, as sequel to the
Brazil , 1984; Torkey Istanbul, 1997 (Habitat international conferences.
Bruntland commission’s global environment and development 1987: which stipulate
meeting the needs of the present generation without Jeopardizing that of future
generation “refers.(14) For the low
income families housing development to be sustainable, mutually accountable,
environmental material-economic harmony is a pre-requisite. Environmental
(E) value must be proportional to Human (H) activities, tending to equilibrium:
E+H->O. (15)
To attain the widest support it is expected that the
concept of freedom character apply.
CASE
STUDY
1.
Slum upgradation for Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) India
At the end of 1989, VIKAS signed a contract with AMC to be consultant and to
monitor this program which was prepared in September 1984. The major inputs of
the slum upgradation programme are:
a.
Land – transfer of land rights to the present occupiers in the slums
b. Services
– provision of basic services, like water, drainage, latrines, street paving
and street lights.
c. Shelter –
creating access to building materials and technical know – how for improvement
of shelter.
Around 75% of the slums of the city are in private land and
25% in the AMC and state government land. The initial phase of the programme
will cover 17 slums (3,671 families) on land owned by AMC. (The slum population
of the city is around 120,000 families).
2.
NEPAL
Multi – million dollar project of providing water supply to kathmandu valley by
harnessing the water of the melamchi river. The project was recommended
by engineering consultancy firm of Binnie and partners from U.K. The new water
supply system is expected to cost some $118 million and is presently under
consideration for financing from the world Bank. Additional financing will be
required to reconstruct and expand the city’s underground pipe distribution
system. Recently an article was published on this project in Ideas &
Actions, a UNDP publication of the Decade watch, Vol. 7,No.3, September 1988.
the article justifies the project on the following grounds:
1.
In kathmandu, heavy pumping to fill private storage tanks in homes, hotels and
businesses creates low pressure in the city’s water mains causing contamination
of ground water and the spread of water borne disease.
2.
Virtually every significant source of surface and underground water in
kathmandu Valley has been tapped to meet current needs and the city’s
population is expected to triple in the next twenty years.
3.
“No reasonable schemes within the valley can give sufficient water from either
surface sources or groundwater to meet future needs.”
4.
The gravity flow of “Melamchi Project” offers more than relative technical
simplicity.
5.
Surplus water flow from the new scheme will be diverted to the present Bagmati
river to cleanse the sacred water at the temple site and help reduce pollution
in the river as it passes through kathmandu.
The above contentions are, we feel, sweeping statement made to justify a
project that has not been adequately thought of. The Melamchi project plans to
bring huge supply of drinking water through a 27 km. long tunnel costing a huge
amount of money to the tune of 120 to 130 million U.S dollars which will add to
the debt, the burdens of repayment of which is already crippling future
prospects for Nepal’s development. It is widely known that debt repayment hits
the poor more than the rich.
3.
PAKISTAN
With the success of the sanitation and housing models the need was felt to
institutionalize the effort. In April 1988, OPP – RTI was registered under the
Societies Act. Since June 1989, its budget and management have been separated
from the OPP.
The current annual budget of OPP – RTI is Rs 1.19 million. The grants are
channelized through the OPP Society.
OPP – RTI is undertaking the model outside organgi.
1.
Low Cost Sanitation
2.
Low Cost Housing
3.
Social Forestry
4.
Women’s Cooperative and Training.
1.
LOW COST SANITATION.
Survey Statistics:
Sewerage work in organgi – September 19189
Complete survey of 110 mohallas has been concluded. The chief figures are given
below. They indicate that sanitation in the old OPP area is now highly advanced
and is moving forward to other areas of Organgi and outside Orangi.
Orange lanes and houses – September 1989
Head
OPP Area
Non – OPP Area
Total
Mohallas
66
44
110
Lanes
3,399
2,966
6,365
Housing
49,862
44,161
94,023
Sewerage construction – Cumulative – September 1989
Percentage
Sew
lines (OPP
Area)
2,940
86.5
Length
Rft
(OPP)
714,871
Sew
lines (non – OPP
Area)
1,119 38.
Length
Rft (non –
OPP)
297,034
S.
drain (OPP
Arare)
237
Length
Rft
(OPP)
65
S. drain
(non – OPP
Area)
16,427
Houses
(OPP
Area)
44,031 88.30
Houses
(non –
OPP)
18,464 41.8
5.0
CONCLUSION:
(1)
Concreted effort will be required by regional/national governments to realize
the United Nations
mandate for decent Housing (Policy-implementation) For
All by the year AD 2000 and
beyond. By lending its power of “eminent dormain”,
enact laws that will
make land acquisition possible for specific low-income
housing.
(2) The
hindrance, brought by the tendencies of some individuals and/or national
enterprises/parastatals to administer the land, seems unproductive and
questions lack of objectivity. Which could be averted requiring adequate
compensation be made, to those earlier granted right/titled to use such land.
(3) Owing to
socio-economic/political forces, discontinuation of earmarked projects,
including those on low-income housing, by incumbents or succeeding regimes, is
not uncommon and contributes significantly, to attractive or otherwise for
investment.
(4) Education and
effective environmental measure from safely behavioural viewpoint, will be
achieved, when there is a change in the value, society places on the general
information welfare, of its citizenry.
5.1
RECOMMENDATIONS;
(1) Development
of the regional-national economy is a task that must be jointly addressed, by
primary plans, legislative approach and regimes of comprehensive regional
economic social (public funded low-income housing) package.
(2) The distance
traveled by occupants, between home and work/office need not exceed the minimum
allowed by the normal architectural professional practice and combined with the
rent and transport should not exceed 10% of the low-incomer’s salary.
(3) The Regional
governments had better seen the problems of title ownership and land
acquisition as its responsibility to lend its power of ‘eminent dormain, with
due process/compensation.
(4) Cultural
artifacts important for the emancipation of Green Architecture be properly
managed and whenever possible, basic ingredients of African rich environmental
heritage be vernacularly introduced.
REFERENCES
(1) Abiodum, J.O.
(1995) Housing Problems in Nigeria Cities, a book of readings, Onubokun Press,
Ibadan, Nigeria.
(2) Okara, P.C.
(1989), Shelter as an Integral Part of Rural Development, An Empiricism in
Rural Development edited by Igbozurike, etc.
(3) Salawu, A.
(1984), Public Policy and Housing Problems in Nigeria Published by the center
of social and Economic Research, Issues in Development, ABU, Zaria, Nigeria.
(4) Unaegbu, O.C.
(1988), An analytical study of the problem of Rural housing in Imo State .
(5) Nwarikezie,
F.O. Real Estate and Capital Budgeting, School of Environmental Studies, Abia
State University , Uturu , Nigeria .
(6) Ifeajuna,
L.O. November 16-19, 1996, (1) Industrialization and Ecological balance, (2)
Strategies of Ecological Sustainability, 2nd Paper (Ibid). Esut
(International Conference on Ecology, Development, Politics
Environmental).
(7) Faniran, C.A
(1970), “River basins and Development Planning in West Africa ” West African
Regional Conference of Commonwealth Geographical Bureau, Legion (Mimeo).
(7b)
Faniran A.C., High & U.S. Oguntoyinbo 9 (1970) “Planning & the National
environment”, Nigerian Opinion, 6, pp. 60 – 63
(8) Adeniyi, E.
O. (1970) “The Impact of Water change in River regime on activities below the
Kainji Dam” Nig. Geog. Journal.
(9) Udo, R.K.
(1964) The Migrant tenants Farmer of Eastern Nigeria, Africa , 34, pp. 326 –
39.
(10)
Onibokun A. (1976), The challenges of the low income people in Nigeria .
(11)
Vigale L.R., (1971) Housing in Nigeria search for policy framework and action
Programme.
(12)
Umeora C.E. (2005) Monetary Theory and Policies
(12)
National Housing Policy (1970-91) Goal and Objectives.
(13)
Emma O. Omuojine (1987) Parameters for sound National Housing Policy.
(14)
Obayinwana F.O.S. (1985) Public Housing Policy Formulation and Execution.
(15)
Sangosanya A.G. (1986) “Housing: Wither Nigeria ”
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