This paper examines the changes in land use and economic activities between 1986 and 2005 in a residential development in Port Harcourt that was originally developed for senior civil servants and military personnel. It shows how land ownership has changed and also the rapid expansion of commercial activities within what was exclusively a residential development. With no enforcement of land use regulations, this has led to a decline in the quality of life for the residents.KEYWORDS land use conversion / land use management / land use regulations / Nigeria / Port Harcourt
The housing stock in Port Harcourt municipality has over the years experienced incremental deterioration from neglect to change of use, paucity of funds and sometimes misappropriation of resources. The study assessed existing housing stock within Port Harcourt municipality with the objective to ascertain the physical condition of the housing stock in some planned and unplanned neighbourhoods in Orije layout-Orominike (D/Line), Port Harcourt Township and Diobu (Mile1 and Mile 2) and some waterfront settlements. Twenty-five (25) communities were identified from the entire study area. Some indicators such as habitable space, physical condition, availability of basic social infrastructure and services and environmental quality of the housing unit were measured. The sample was drawn purposively as 4 distinct neighbourhoods were studied. A multi-stage sampling technique was deployed, Taro Yamane formula was applied to determine the sample size of 156, as the number of questionnaires to be administered and stratified simple random sampling technique was employed to select respondents with household 5 persons per household of which 148 questionnaires were retrieved. Data from the field were analysed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS), aimed at comparing the nature of substandard housing found across the neighbourhoods studied. The result indicates that the housing stock in the indigenous enclaves within the Diobu neighbourhood has a high occupancy ratio and lacked basic public utilities and services in addition to houses being constructed with substandard materials. Residents often experience periodic flooding after rainfalls. The study recommends that to further improve the standard of housing conditions in line with the global UN standards, the provision of basic social infrastructural services alongside periodic and consistent urban renewal processes should be constantly carried out to reduce the housing deficit within the municipality.
Housing is a process which makes the act of dwelling possible. In effect, the term, housing includes the house itself and the total surrounding environment with its ancillary facilities and services. One of the processes in building a house is the Building Approval phase before a house is started. This particular phase is marked by many challenges in Nigeria and particularly in Port Harcourt in the productivity of housing. The Rivers State Government in 2009 introduced the Rivers State Geographic Information System (RIVGIS) to handle land registration issues. Also in 2012, the "One -Stop -Shop" for building plan approval was introduced. The results have been rewarding; the various processes are more transparent, the period of waiting to get building approval and Certificate of Occupancy(C of O) has been reduced, the number of structures built without permits and collapse of buildings are reduced, the practice of using quacks in the building profession is under check. Generally this has resulted in improved safety of life and property. However, challenges remain that require specific regulations and enforcement of such.
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