Analysis of Slum Formation in Core Area of Ilesa, Nigeria

Abstract

Slums are one of the effects of migration and the most important reason for living in the slums is poor access to better living spaces. In other words, people move into the slums due more to obstacles in their original dwelling places than to the attraction of the target city. For the collection of primary data, a set of questionnaires; targeted at slum residents; were administered to household heads living in Ilesa, Nigeria. Systematic sampling was used to select household heads in one out of every ten (10) houses located in the five (5) identified political wards that formed the core area of the ancient city. A pilot study and a reconnaissance survey revealed that there were 4,560 buildings in the five political wards. Therefore, a total of 456 household heads were selected for questionnaire administration. Both descriptive and inferential statistics were used for analysis. The findings revealed that slums in the core area are the product of inadequate housing, lack of timely maintenance of infrastructures and structures, disappointment with the unmet need for housing and social amenities. The consequences of such conditions are a negative impact on the environment as well as on human health and comfort. Measures aimed at improving the situation include an urban renewal programme; which should include the reconstruction and rehabilitation of existing facilities or the redevelopment of the whole area. The study also suggests a holistic and integrated planning approach that can reduce rural poverty and improve urban livelihoods since these appear to be the main causes of slum growth in developing nations.