Urban Issues and Challenges - Part 1: Lagos

Natural Increase

when the birth rate is higher than the death rate, the population increases

Natural change

the difference between the birth rate and the death rate

Push factors

War and conflict

Low paid Jobs

Bad education system

Poverty

High crime rates

Natural disasters

Pull Factors

Higher Paid Jobs

Good education

Better quality of life

Low crime rates

Low death rates

Why are LIC and NEE cities grow faster than HIC cities (migration)

Cities in HICs have already experienced ubranisation: so majority of population lives in city. Alon with this, some people are moving out of the city to the countryside

Whilst in NEE and LICs the rate of rural-urban migration is high. And in LICs, the majority of the population still live in rural areas

Why are LIC and NEE cities grow faster than HIC cities( Natural increase)

In HICs, majority of population is ageing so natural increase has slowed down

Whilst in LICs, the population is younger so the rate of natural increase is also high.

Urbanisation

The process by which an increasing percentage of a country's population comes to live in towns and cities.

Megacity

A city with 10 million people or more

Lagos is...

located in the northwest of Africa, in the country Nigeria. It is located on the southern-west coast of Nigeria, bordering the South Atlantic Ocean.

Oil boom in 1970

The oil boom in 1970 in Nigeria meant that individuals and the government became richer.

National Importance of Lagos

• 80% of Nigeria's industry is in Lagos

• Lagos generates 30% of Nigeria's GDP

• Is the centre of trade and commercial in Nigeria

Regional importance of Lagos

• Main financial centre in West Africa

• The largest city in Africa

• Has land, sea and air connections to the markets in central and Western Africa.

International importance of Lagos

-A major hub for the headquarters of national and global companies. E.g Nissan and Volkswagen of Nigeria has set up facilities in this city

-Major international airport providing non-stop flights to destinations around the world.

-Also has a busy seaport (Trading)

Social opportunities in Lagos ( health and education)

• Due to being understaffed in healthcare == possible job opportunity

• Healthcare is better in Lagos as they have greater access to doctors, clinics and hospitals

• Lagos is home to many universities and training colleges. With over 10 universities in Lagos and 65,000 teachers in Lagos.

• Education leads to a bigger chance to find work in one of Lagos' growing industries

Social Opportunities in Lagos (Water supply and energy)

• Drinking water is sold in containers by street vendors, helps vendors earn a wage to provide for themselves and their family, as well as useful as acquiring drinking water is hard.

• Lagos has the advantage of being in a tropical area with a high annual rainfall == fresh water source.

• Lagos generates 15,000 megawatts of electricity through diesel generator, and a mix of gas-source power with off-grid solutions means that Lagos can potentially double the size of the state's economy.

Economic opportunities in Lagos

• 30% Nigeria's GDP == high paying jobs to contribute that much or a lot of jobs

• Has an international airport which is the main arrival point for 80% of flights to West Africa and the main base for Nigeria's largest airline, Arik Air.

Squatter Settlement

An area of poor-quality housing, lacking in amenities such as water supply, sewerage and electricity, which often develops spontaneously and illegally in a city in an LIC.

Challenge of managing Urban growth In Lagos : Squatter Settlements

• homes are at highest risk of being destroyed by natural disasters because of the weak material used to build them

• they lack basic facilities and sanitation and inhabitants are more prone to diseases as only 11% of houses have access to pipe water and 38% have no kitchen bath or toilet.

• 75% of people living in squatter settlements in Lagos live in just one room == cramp living conditions

Challenge of providing Energy in Lagos

-Only 31% of residents connected to the grid

-power supply difficulties are because of the rapidly increasing size of Lagos which overwhelms the grid, meaning that 80% of electricity used in the state of Lagos is from expensive generators.

-This lead to governments raising power bills and more risks being taken with the environment due to lack of power.

Challenge of providing Sanitation Systems in Lagos

-Sanitation and hygiene as well as the diarrhoea,caused by poor and dirty water supplies, us the second largest killer of children under 5 in Lagos

-Urbanisation has caused a population increase leading to there not being enough clean water and sanitation systems available .

Challenge of providing Clean Water in Lagos

-Around 60% of the Lagos population doesn't have access to safe drinking water, leaving most residents to collect water through unsanitary and unclean methods.

-100,000 children aged under 5 years die from waterborne diseases annually.

-If children become sick they miss out on school, having long-term effects on the aspects of their lives.

Challenge of providing access to Health in Lagos

-Inadequate healthcare infrastructure and a shortage of medical professionals results in a strain being put on healthcare facilities due to high population density

-Busy areas are at risk of spreading malaria and typhoid, since investments in healthcare aren't matching the rapid population growth, patients are at risk of being untreated.

-Vaccinations are available but it cost up to 7000 Naira and only 17% of Lagos' population has health insurance.

Challenge of providing access to Education in Lagos

-Not enough funding: less than 8% of their budget goes to education

-Traffic congestion: Lagos residents spend an average of 30 hours a week in traffic.

-Children need to work to earn money for their families: 300,000 children don't go to school because of this.

Challenge of reducing unemployment in Lagos

-There is no unemployment benefit for the unemployed.

-Waste recycling, one of the most popular jobs under the informal sector, can be dangerous due to natural gasses causing fires.

Effort being made to manage unemployment in Lagos

-2016,the Employment Trust Fund Bill had been passed to grant loans to those who were unemployed.

Challenge of reducing crime in Lagos

-Trust Fund(LSSTF) listed 44 armed robbery cases, 25 kidnap cases (within 11 months). However to improve the supply of security gadgets it's around N4.8 billion ( about 5 million pounds)

-According to statistics, Lagos is in the top ten states of Nigeria with the highest crime rate. This recommends that Lagos government should invest into target hardening to prevent robbery.

Challenge of managing waste disposal in Lagos

• city authorities only collect 40% of the 10,000 tonnes of waste produced daily

• Dump sites breed mosquitoes resulting in a high incidence of malaria, cholera and many other diseases.

Challenge of managing Air pollution in Lagos

-Most vehicles vehicles are over 15 years old, using fuel with high sulphur levels and greenhouse emissions

-This results in Illness and premature deaths. In 2020, there were over 30,000 premature deaths.

-Adult suffer heart disease, lung cancer and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Challenge of managing water pollution in Lagos

-People dig wells/boreholes to get water from underground, which is often contaminated by sewage.

-Groundwater around lagoons in contaminated with salt water.

-Most water in Lagos contains bacteria & chemical pollutants(industrial polluting), leading to diarrhoea and diseases like cholera and dysentery.

Effort being made to manage waste disposal in Lagos

-The Lagos State waste Management Authority was set up in 1991 to collect, transport and dispose waste

-Authority has deployed street sweepers and improved open dumpsites

Effort being made to manage air pollution in Lagos

-People in Lagos are now forbidden to use vehicles over 10 years old, as they much higher emissions

-The World Bank Pollution Management and Environment Health Program offers opportunities collaborate with the Lagos State Government to create policies that will improve air quality.

Effort being made to manage water pollution in Lagos

-Water treatment plan in Lagos == water is taken and treated

-In 2012, Lagos State Water Regulatory Commission began the job of regulating water supply and vendors, and issuing licences for boreholes.

Challenge of managing Traffic congestion in Lagos

-The fatal accident rate in Lagos is 28 per 100,000 people - 3 times higher than European cities

-The air pollution traffic creates that are 5 times higher than the internationally recommended limit.

-The average Lagossian commuter will spend 3 hours in traffic every day

Effort being made to manage traffic congestion in Lagos ( key points )

-Bus systems were introduced to help reduce traffic congestion and air pollution because this way less vehicles were being used== less pollution, less petrol and more efficient.

-Roughly 200,000 people use the bus systems everyday which reduces travel time by a significant amount and lot less pollution and road rage incidents.

Effort being made to manage traffic congestion in Lagos: Transport Master Plan for Lagos

Includes:

-In 2016, new light railway, carrying 7 times more passengers than a bus. Lagos Blue Rail opened in September 2023.

-Integrated transport - road, rail and waterways link together to make to travel easier.

-Pavements for civilians and better walking/cycling facilities.

What aspects of the Makoko Floating School makes it an example of Urban Planning

-Uses local materials such as timber and barrels: it’s environmental and sustainable

-Has photovoltaic cells on the sides of the roof to generate electricity from the sun: renewable energy source

-Rainwater is collected by the barrels at the bottom and stored: fresh water source

-Floating barrels gives the school buoy so it adapts to tidal changes and is invulnerable to flooding and storm surges