Various design control measures were recommended to provide appropriate means and procedures for future developments. To achieve a harmonious and well-organized urban fabric as well as enforce spatial order, design control measures were introduced with details provided for each block within the central area. These include the grid system, wall line, height requirements, level control, floor area ratio, building coverage, location of cores, pedestrian walkways, porticos, access and access zones, and penetration requirements.
The area identified by the Kenzo Tange plan as a future expansion area subsequently constitutes Phase II of the Central Area. The development control standards and regulations for the second phase, which commenced from the N1 Arterial named Olusegun Obasanjo Way to the Ring Road I, later named the Nnamdi Azikiwe Expressway, were produced by AIMS consultants.
A new land use plan was subsequently created, in which many of the initial proposals were reviewed. Unlike the Kenzo Tange report, AIMS provided regulations and details on each plot individually. Planning is a human endeavor that can never be infallible. Thus, re-planning becomes imperative for some proposals during the implementation process, as long as it is not a product of selfish aggrandizement. Many of the genuinely driven aspects were glaring and obvious.
The challenges faced by those in charge of the implementation are twofold. Many of the pioneer administrators, specifically Town Planners who maintained the principles and ethics of their profession, resisted unnecessary and selfish orders to interfere with the plans, but fell victim to official high-handedness. On the other hand, some of the upright FCT administrations would apply strict measures on errant civil servants caught manipulating the plans.
What the Plan envisaged for the Central Area District, apart from the major public institutions necessary for Abuja to function as the Federal Capital City of Nigeria, was a Central Business District that would provide land for the national headquarters of all, or most, of the multinational organizations and businesses in Nigeria.
The Embassy Zone was originally proposed in the Kenzo Tange plan to be located outside the Three-Arms Zone circle, opposite the Supreme Court Complex. However, the area now accommodates private residential houses occupied by highly influential citizens who enjoy the security provided by the Villa. Meanwhile, the Embassy Zone is now situated in Central Area Phase II, where AIMS Consultants provided the standards and regulations for their developments on an individual plot basis.
Among the features initially proposed for development in the Central Area District, which location was not changed, is the Liaison Offices for all the States in the country. Although they later became inadequate due to the creation of new states, the Authority tried to contain them within.
It can be observed that between the Ministries and Cultural Zone in the northern section, there exists a natural valley proposed for housing. In the southern section, it was intended to be developed as a Ministries Garden, serving as the green component of the Ministries Zone. Additionally, other gardens were proposed within the Ministries Zone. Unfortunately, these gardens, as proposed, are nowhere to be found today. On the other hand, proposing a housing development in the valley of a purely institutional land in the Central Area District was indeed an aberration.
According to the Kenzo Tange plan, what is to be developed at the center of the Cultural Zone is the National Square and the Municipality. In the northern section are the National Theatre, National Museum, Exterior Exhibition Garden, and National Mosque, while in the southern section is the Abuja Cathedral, which was later renamed the National Ecumenical Center to provide all Christian sects with a sense of belonging. Other features include the National Library and the International Conference Center.
It should be noted that the National Square, known as Eagle Square, is now located between the Federal Ministries buildings in the Ministries Zone. This location was originally earmarked for a sub-transportation center, as proposed by Kenzo Tange. The Parade Ground at Area 10, Garki I District was the initial temporary facility used for national celebrations in Abuja, and it is now utilized not only for the FCT but also for other national events.
The first National Day celebration held in Abuja was in 1982 during the Shehu Shagari regime in the 2nd Republic, and subsequently in 1986 by President Ibrahim Babangida. The experience gained from hosting the initial events in Abuja, regarding the efficiency of the activities and the size demands, would definitely have driven the rethinking of the location and size of the National Square, hence the abandonment of the originally proposed modest size and location by the Kenzo Tange plan.
In the later plan, the original location proposed for the International Conference Center was also reviewed interchangeably with that of the FCDA Secretariat, allowing the FCDA to be situated in close proximity to the headquarters and offices of other public institutions of the FCT Administration.
To be continued.
