Rapid Urbanization and the Nigerian Landscape: The Gains, the Menaces, and Strategies for Future Success (original) (raw)

Migration, the movement of people from one place to another, is believed to flow towards urbanization. Urbanization accounts for the major reason which pulls migration, and the environment is the fiber and bedrock upon which Urbanization thrives. As Urbanization occurs, the environment is modified to accommodate its new population. Ideally, in modifying the environment to accommodate urbanization, care should be taken to avoid any form of exploitation, degradation, abuse, and misuse. In the Nigerian context however, urbanization has occurred rapidly through unsustainable activities and lifestyles that both deplete and pressure the environment and the lives of the very inhabitants it should so dutifully protect. This research paper analyzes how Nigeria's rapid urban growth is affecting landscape design and sustainability. It highlights the history of urbanization both globally and locally, as well as addressing the menaces and negative impact of the movement citing examples in certain Nigerian cities. It goes on to establish the role of landscape in Urban Spaces and how they play Sustainability, Health, Aesthetic, Social, Agricultural, Ecological, Economical, Acoustic and Conservational roles in impacting the urban spaces in Nigeria. It concludes by recommending strategies for ensuring success in the use of landscape as a tool for mitigating the negative effects of rapid urbanization in Nigeria.