An expert with the National Consultant at United Nations Human Settlement Programme (UNHABITAT), Abuja, Mr. Paul Okunola has urged the federal government to build ‘cities of the future’ that focus on the relevance of urban resilience as a new normal in planning and governance issue across the country.
Okunola made the call during a webinar hosted by the Nigerian Institute of Town Planners (NITP), Lagos Chapter, said the COVID-19 crisis has exposed the structural weaknesses of Nigeria and reinforced the need to embark on more slum regeneration and urban renewal initiatives.
The expert who was speaking on Housing typology and what they mean for the current crisis”, the recounted that the three most affected states in Nigeria – Lagos, Kano and Abuja happens to be the most densely populated cities. This, he said signifies that there is a link between urban form, urban designs, human population density and pandemics.
He said, there is a need to use planning concept to confront the challenges of pandemic by ensuring that urban planning plays a central role in the new normal in post COVID-19 era.
According to him, “Urban planning shouldn’t be something that we just put on paper; it has to play a new role at the executive council, planning level, local government council. Despite the challenges, COVID-19 presents a new way to rethink how the cities are planned, built and managed.
“We need to see it as a new opportunity to think anew and act new. Urban centres require new approaches to prevent and adapt to future crisis, resilience is something that has to go to the heart of the way we live, work, travel and the way the cities are run.
“Future planning will need to address the issue of informal settlements and plan for them and integrate them into planning, economic and social systems particularly arising from the increasing numbers of the urban poor.
He further stressed that cities need to adapt to the way humans is moving forward, in terms of limiting the volume of humans travels and moderating emission in cities.
While stating that the disperse design and compact city model has become a phenomenon in the country, Okunola however, noted that the disperse cities lead to urban slums and implications of climate change, emissions and putting pressure on land services.
He observed that there is tendency to prefer compact city design which also has its challenges especially more people using common services which isn’t good for pandemic.
“If you look at Lagos Island, it’s very compact because it is limited by the Lagoons and the oceans. Highly dense but when you have a situation of pandemic, how do you ensure social distancing when you are living in house with so many other people.
“So it has more challenge. Informality is a reality today and a challenge to most government in managing the space they occupy and integrating into a wider society”, he stated.
