Multivariate Analysis of Factors Responsible for Visual Pollution in the Central Business District of Ore Town, Ondo State, Nigeria

Abstract

One of the key features of many primordial settlements in sub-Saharan Africa and their resurgence as urban centres is visual pollution and deterioration in environmental quality. This is due to the inability of city authorities to regulate what is assembled, built or displayed in public spaces. The paper deals with multivariate analysis of factors responsible for visual pollution in the Central Business District (CBD) of Ore Town, Ondo State, Nigeria. Fifty indicators capable of causing visual pollution were sourced from field survey of 133 respondents selected randomly using structured questionnaire. Data analysis was carried out using descriptive statistics and factor analysis/principal component analysis (FA/PCA) in SPSS. Results showed that about 69.6% of the combined effects of 50 factors explained the variations in visual pollution in the CBD of Ore Town with a 30.4% error margin. Based on the first extracted component, disorderly placement of posters, chaotic arrangement of electricity lines/pole, haphazard arrangement of signposts/billboards, graffiti (writing on roads, fences and public areas) and potholes on road were identified as the most pressing factors responsible for visual pollution in the CBD of Ore Town. Multivariate statistics with the use of FA/PCA, therefore, demonstrated a veritable and robust analytical framework in assessing complex indicators of global environmental change to support policy and sustainable development. The study recommended massive urban sensitization, infrastructure renewal and planning which take into cognizance anthropogenic and ecological disasters to restore and guarantee visual esthetics and environmental quality.