Exploration of urban growth trends in States of South East Nigeria: 1986 to 2016
- Author Iwuoha, Sampson Erick
- Co-Author Lawal, Olanrewaju
- DOI http://wwj
- Country : Nigeria
- Subject : Geography & Environmental Management
Keywords : urban environment, urban growth trends, spatial urban planning, urban management
Abstract
The aim of this study was to explore the combined application of geo-spatial methods to enhance understanding of urban growth dynamics in South-East Nigeria. This is premised on the fact that the growth and broad spread of urban areas are better captured when mapped and visualised at the metropolitan-region scale, which provides the “big picture”.
Findings revealed that;
1. The spread in built-up area increased with time from one year to another.
2. Ebonyi was the fastest growing State in the South East between 1986 and 2006, followed by Imo State, while Anambra State recorded relatively lower growth in terms of annual change.
3. Enugu State had the highest record of annual built-up area in 1986, 2006 and 2016 respectively.
4. Between the periods 2006 and 2016, there was a shift in annual urbanisation rate among the States. Anambra became the fastest growing State in the region, followed by Enugu, while Abia slowed down.
The implications of these findings on the growth and development of the region is that whereas, newly created states tend to have increased growth due to available space and the intentional hand of Government driving urban growth, the older states with significantly established urban areas had attained a plateau in terms of urban growth. It can be concluded that the dynamics of urban systems in South East Nigeria can be understood from a geo-spatial analysis of historical processes, events and trends of urban growth.
Comments
No have any comment !