Abuja sustainable spatial housing design: A spatial dialectics (volumetric and unvolumetric settlements)

Abstract

The article titled "Abuja sustainable spatial housing design: A spatial dialectics (volumetric and unvolumetric settlements)" by B.N. Obiadi, P.C. Agbonome has been updated. The Editorial Board sincerely regrets any inconvenience this might cause its readers.

Successive metropolitan governments in Abuja have failed in several ways to implement the provisions of the Abuja Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Master Plan. This has resulted in pervasive distortions in the city development programme. At its inception, Abuja came under serious pressure from the premature relocation of federal workers from the old capital city, Lagos. This phenomenon coupled with the influx of new migrants and indigenous settlers have resulted in housing shortage, infrastructure overload, and the proliferation of defective housing and informal settlements in the city and surrounding territories. In Nigeria, government intervention in housing the urban poor is plagued by three key factors, namely: the inherent tendency to confuse squatter settlements with the urban poor; sectional housing delivery system that favours the middle class and high income earners; and inability to reach the target groups and that resulted in volumetric and unvolumetric housing settlements in Abuja (Abuja Dialectics). Based on the visual assessment schedules, the housing and infrastructure profiles of the selected informal settlements were found to be grossly inadequate. The major compositions were “Quick-Fix-Homes”, built with recycled and decaying planks, zinc, cardboards and abandoned aluminium products mostly sourced from nearby construction sites. The areas also lacked basic city infrastructure such as roads, electricity, city water, toilet facilities, and gutters. One innovative architectural scheme models of high-rise buildings with economic options is recommended in solving Abuja  Dialectic housing issues. The idea was to retain the urban poor settlements in their current locations with infrastructure and spatial to the Abuja central city.