The high rate of loss of urban green spaces is reducing connectivity between people and nature, and the ability of the urban population to appreciate and enjoy the natural environment. However, not ...much is known about the extent to which ongoing efforts at planning green infrastructure are influencing residents’ connectedness to nature, especially in cities in sub-Saharan Africa. This study investigates the influence of green infrastructure (GI) on residents’ self-perceived connectedness with nature in selected residential neighbourhoods in Lagos, Nigeria. Through a multi-stage sampling technique, 1,560 residents were included in a survey and the data were analysed using descriptive and categorical regression analyses. The results showed that, although the residents were generally dissatisfied with the quality and quantity of GI in their neighbourhoods, they felt that the existing GI has a significant positive influence on their connection to nature. The regression analysis also revealed that the current state and availability of green areas for relaxation in the neighbourhoods were the two GI characteristics with the most influence on residents’ sense of connectedness to nature. These findings are instructive in noting that, to improve the urban population’s connectedness to nature using GI, city planners and managers should pay specific attention to providing and maintaining green areas for relaxation in residential neighbourhoods in the study area and beyond.
Understanding public attitudes towards the environment and factors influencing it is very important in predicting pro-environmental behaviour of citizens. However, in many cities in sub-Saharan ...Africa, where rapid urbanisation has come with diverse environmental sustainability challenges, there are very few studies that provide insight into the attitude of citizens towards urban green infrastructure (UGI) and the factors influencing it. This study investigated residents’ attitude towards UGI and the factors influencing it in Lagos Metropolis, Nigeria. The data were collected through a questionnaire survey of 1560 participants and physical observations in selected neighbourhoods in the study area. The data were analysed using descriptive statistics, multiple regression and content analyses. It was observed that the most common UGI in the study area were parks, gardens, grasses, sport fields and street trees and that around 67% of the participants demonstrated good attitude towards UGI in their respective neighbourhoods. In addition, around 47% of the variance in
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was explained by the regression model with residents’ perceived role of UGI in fostering social cohesion and health benefits and quality of neighbourhood UGI emerging as the top three factors that influenced residents’ attitude towards green infrastructure. This study implies that adequate knowledge of the social and health benefits and quality of GI are vital to developing positive attitudes towards GI among urban population.
Given the significance of green infrastructure in enhancing social, economic and ecological sustainability of the built environment, it is important to unearth how green infrastructure can influence ...pro-environmental behaviours among the urban population. This research assessed the influence of green infrastructure on residents’ endorsement of the New Ecological Paradigm (NEP) in Lagos Metropolis, Nigeria. A total of 1560 residents recruited through the multi-stage sampling technique participated in the survey, and the data gathered were subjected to descriptive and regression analyses. The participants generally felt that the available green infrastructure in their neighbourhoods was of low quality and rapidly disappearing, but it positively influenced all the key variables of the NEP and its endorsement. The size of neighbourhood green spaces, availability of green spaces for relaxation and its proximity to the people were found to be the three attributes of green infrastructure with the most noticeable influence on residents’ endorsement of NEP. This study implies that the availability and accessibility of a reasonable quantity of green areas within urban neighbourhoods can enhance a better understanding of the role of green infrastructure and promote favourable environmental behaviours among the urban population within and outside Nigeria.
Purpose - The aim of this research is to identify the factors responsible for the inability of authorities in rapidly growing megacities in developing countries to integrate disaster risk ...vulnerability reduction strategies effectively with their development plans.Design methodology approach - The study followed a qualitative research strategy. A survey research approach with pre-tested questionnaires as key data collection instrument was used in eliciting responses from 135 randomly selected built environment professionals in academics and disaster management practitioners in government and non-governmental organizations in Lagos Megacity Area, Nigeria.Findings - A number of factors militating against the adoption of effective disaster vulnerability reduction strategies in the area were identified. The most critical were faltering institutions and governance, weak infrastructure base and a low level of disaster education.Research limitations implications - The sample population comprised mainly built environment professionals in academics and disaster managers across the city. Therefore, the views presented in the paper may not be considered generalizable within the context of multiplicity of stakeholders in disaster studies. However, the research presents the perception of experts and key stakeholders in disaster vulnerability reduction in the study area.Practical implications - The findings can form the basis for addressing these challenges, most particularly in generating and adopting new approaches to policy formulation and implementation by the public and private sectors.Originality value - Research on this subject-matter is very limited in Nigeria. It is, however, very relevant in efforts at addressing the challenges of sustainable development in developing countries from the human and policy dimensions.
Nigeria faces a tremendous shortfall in housing provisions, especially in its urban areas. Consequently, Public-Private Partnership in housing provisions has been adopted as a means of addressing ...this problem. Several previous studies have focused on the role of government agencies in the government-provider approach to housing, but adequate attention has not been given to the role of government agencies in Public-Private Partnerships in housing. This paper attempts to fill this gap in literature by examining the role of government agencies in Public-Private Partnerships in housing. A study of thirteen government agencies in six selected Nigerian cities was undertaken. The findings indicate that though the agencies tended to focus on the provision of access to land and the regulatory framework for housing development, the majority of Nigerians have not benefited from this arrangement. The paper recommends that government agencies should also be involved in providing basic amenities and subsidies to ensure that Public-Private Partnership housing serves the interest of most Nigerians.
Zaradi čedalje večjega krčenja zelenih površin v mestih se slabša povezanost ljudi z naravo, mestni prebivalci pa zato manj cenijo naravno okolje in v njem manj uživajo. Še vedno ni veliko znanega o ...tem, kako trenutna prizadevanja pri načrtovanju zelene infrastrukture vplivajo na povezanost prebivalcev z naravo, zlasti v mestih podsaharske Afrike. Avtorja v raziskavi proučujeta vpliv zelene infrastrukture na občutek povezanosti prebivalcev, kot navajajo sami, z naravo v izbranih stanovanjskih soseskah v Lagosu v Nigeriji. Na podlagi večstopenjskega vzorčenja je bilo v anketo vključenih 1.560 prebivalcev, podatki pa so bili analizirani z deskriptivno in kategorično regresijsko analizo. Rezultati kažejo, da čeprav so prebivalci večinoma nezadovoljni s kakovostjo in količino zelene infrastrukture v svojih soseskah, hkrati menijo, da ta pomembno pozitivno vpliva na njihovo povezanost z naravo. Regresijska analiza je poleg tega pokazala, da stanje in razpoložljivost zelenih površin za preživljanje prostega časa v soseskah najbolj vplivata na občutek povezanosti z naravo. Navedeni izsledki kažejo, da bi morali urbanisti in mestne oblasti za to, da bi z zeleno infrastrukturo izboljšali povezanost prebivalcev z naravo, posebno pozornost nameniti zagotavljanju in vzdrževanju zelenih površin v stanovanjskih soseskah na proučevanem območju in drugje.
Against the backdrop of increasing adoption of e-Procurement in supply chain management, there is a need for adequate knowledge of the factors that influence the decision by organizations in the ...building industry to use e-Procurement. This study aims to fill the knowledge gap through investigating the factors influencing e-Procurement adoption based on the data sourced in a questionnaire survey involving 213 organizations in the building industry. The survey was conducted between June and November 2015 in Nigeria. Descriptive statistics, factor and categorical regression analyses were used to analyze the data. The results show that the three most important factors influencing the adoption of e-Procurement amongst the participants, in order of importance, were: the benefits of e-Procurement in enhancing efficiency in project delivery; eliminating geographic barriers and effective communication among project team members. The 29 factors were investigated in seven different dimensions - the benefits of e-Procurement use; level of awareness on e-Procurement in construction; and the availability and cost of e-Procurement applications emerged as the three most significant predictors of e-Procurement adoption in the survey. The study concludes by identifying strategies that should be engaged in increasing the uptake and maximizing the benefits of e-Procurement in the Nigerian building industry.
The application of Public-Private Partners (PPPs) in housing provisioning is on the increase across the world. However, there is a paucity of empirical studies on the specific factors considered at ...the initiation, and measures taken to ensure transparency at the procurement stages, of PPP housing projects. This study examined project selection factors and transparency measures in PPP housing projects using data sourced from oral interviews with 27 experts in nine PPP housing schemes in Nigeria. Results of the content analysis revealed that the top two selection factors considered by both the public and private sector operators of PPP housing projects in Nigeria are the availability of land and viability of the funding arrangements. Whereas the public-sector partners also consider the availability of competent private sector to deliver the projects, the private developers are concerned with the location of proposed projects. It was also found that the two key measures taken to ensure transparency at the procurement stage of the projects are transparent and competitive bidding and open advertisements of tender opportunities. These imply that before embarking on PPP housing projects, operators should ensure that there is available land in good locations, sound funding arrangements, and measures for achieving transparency in the schemes.
This study was undertaken to identify key stress factors among professionals in building construction industry in Nigeria. This is in view of the fact that to date, very little is known about work ...stress among professionals in building construction industry in this country. The study involved the administration of questionnaire to 107 professionals including architects, builders, civil/structural engineers and quantity surveyors randomly selected from 60 ongoing building projects in Anambra, Ogun and Kaduna States, Nigeria. The data was analysed using descriptive statistics, and findings show that the principal sources of stress were high volume of work, uncomfortable site office environment, lack of feedback on previous and ongoing building projects, and variations in the scope of work in ongoing building projects. The paper suggests that taking responsibility for work which one has adequate capacity to handle, establishing realistic budgets and time frame for project delivery, provision of spatially adequate, visually and thermally comfortable site offices, adoption of appropriate job design practice and education of professionals on stress management strategies will reduce the incidence of stress among professionals in building industry in Nigeria.
Purpose - The purpose of this study is to examine the adequacy of incrementally constructed government assisted self-help housing in addressing the needs of residents of the Workers' Housing Estate, ...Abeokuta, Ogun State, Nigeria. Design/methodology/approach - A quantitative method and the survey research approach were used. Data were collected from randomly selected 156 household heads in this housing estate with structured questionnaires and analyzed using descriptive and factor analyses. Findings - About 50 percent of the respondents felt that housing environment in the estate was adequate in meeting their needs. Adequacy of housing unit characteristics was higher than that of housing services, social infrastructure and management of the housing estate. Research limitations/implications - Incremental housing construction strategy can provide adequate housing for low and middle-income public sector workers in the developing countries; and this can be enhanced through measures that ensure rapid upgrading of housing units and access to housing services and basic infrastructure by the residents. Practical implications - The adoption of government assisted incremental construction strategy has great potentials in facilitating access to housing by low-income urban residents in the developing countries. Originality/value - A pioneer study on the adequacy of housing provided using the incremental construction strategy in Ogun State Nigeria. Findings may not be generalised, but they have implications for social housing in the developing countries.
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