ANALYSIS OF LAND USE CHANGES IN BIDA TOWN, NIGERIA

ABSTRACT

Land use changes are global phenomenon occurring over time. Commercial land uses in most Nigerian urban centres have sprawled and converted adjoining residential uses in a manner in which housing stock are significantly affected by such changes. The aim of this study is to analyses land use changes in Bida town; with a view to examining its effect on housing delivery. Primary data was sourced using a structured questionnaire administered across the population of the study interest in accessing the perceptions and experiences of experts and non-experts in land use dynamics regarding the drivers, trends and effect of land use changes in Bida town. In addition, archival data were gathered from the planning authorities in respect to the registration procedures and requirements for change of uses; thus, inventory of converted properties in the selected neigbourhoods were ascertained. A total of two hundred and thirty four retrieved questionnaires were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistical techniques like Simple Percentages and Statistical Mean Score; as well as Paired Sample t-Test and Coefficient of Variations respectively. The result indicate that common factors responsible for  commercial  land use  encroachment  on  the residential  areas  include increasing demand for business premises, limited space in the central business districts, upgrade of older residential buildings and easy accessibility in the residential areas; thus, are considered as the topmost factors necessitating conversions of residential property to  commercial  uses having their mean  scores  above 3.50.  The study also revealed that increasing traffic congestions/slum generation in residential areas, challenges in land use control measures, sprawling of economic activities in residential zoned areas, increasing crime rate in the residential areas reduction in residential vacant lots/housing stock closer to the central business districts, rising land/property values in the residential neighbourhoods were the common effects of residential to commercial land use changes on housing delivery. The result from the inferential analysis indicates that the opinions of experts and non-experts are in agreements on the effects of commercial land use changes on housing delivery with „P‟ Value greater than 0.05. It was recommended that adequate space for commercial land uses along the access roads of residential areas should be reasonably allotted in the planning schemes in order to reduce business activities in the core residential areas and consequently ruining down the quality of the housing environment.

CHAPTER ONE

1.0  INTRODUCTION

1.1   Background to the Study

Land use changes are global phenomenon occurring over time which could be noticed either in a mild or wholistic scale in a particular urban centre (Raharjo, 2005). The present great interest in analysing land use successions has stemmed a concern over the demographic, economic and environmental variables relating to the spatial structure of an urban area (Irwin & Bockstael, 2006). The trend in urban growth in developing countries has been on rapid increase with approximately 62 million inhabitants annually requiring about 16 million new accommodation units to be added to their existing housing stock (Pamuk, 2000).

The pace of physical development in Nigerian cities has brought about changes in land use of which commercial land uses continuously to sprawl and convert adjourning residential land uses. This has in most cases, stepped into the land use control measures lingering mixed land uses within residential areas in undesirable ways. The increasing commercial activities in Nigerian mega cities have taken an independent dimension outside the scope of the zoning regulations that guide intensity of land uses (Abdullahi, et al., 2011). Abbas (2009), this trend in the recent situation analysis of land use changes in some selected Nigerian cities, perhaps due to relative small proportion of commercial land use allocation in relation to other land use like residential uses.

Since residential to commercial land use changes entail the conversions of existing residential vacant lot or building into commercial premises, or buildings, the number of residential property which have been taken over by the commercial uses are not equally replaced  within  the  same  neighbourhood.  This  disproportionate  replacement  of converted residential property in urban centres has warranted for shortfall in the overall urban housing (UN Habitat, 2007). Enumeration Area Demarcation (2018), confirmed the scenario in the recent enumeration of housing stock in Bida town which elucidates greater concern over the high shortage of housing stock in medium density residential neighbourhoods of which, a few available stock are being steadily converted to comme- rcial premises. Simwanza (2004), submitted that increasing rate of commercial activities attract land uses away from central districts to the adjourning residential areas and consequently escalate land values above those of the surrounding parcels. This has been a case for Bida urban where decent houses are being converted to commercial premises thereby, pushing the urban poor to live in poorly built houses with inadequate space to accommodate and secure the comfort and safety of family members.

Situation analysis of urban land use changes indicate number of factors responsible for residential to commercial land use changes ranging from profit maximasation motive of business operators, upward pressure on demand for commercial premises, upgrades of older buildings, as well as failure of the central business districts to contain the ever increasing economic activities; and these have consequential effect on housing delivery in numerous ways like escalating rental values of residential property, physical development challenges, land uses control challenges, housing deficits and mixed land uses (Lami & Umar, 2018; Gomna & Yusoff, 2016). It is on this background that the study seeks to analyse the drivers, trends and effects of land use changes; specifically adjoining residential lots taken over by commercial uses; with a view to enhancing housing delivery in Bida town.

1.2   Statement of the Resaerch Problem

Since commercial land use sprawling into the adjourning residential neighbourhoods entails the conversions of existing residential vacant lots or buildings to commercial premises;  the  number  of  residential  property been  taken  over  by commercial/retail buildings  are  not  equally  replaced  within  the  same  neighbourhoods.  This  causes shortfall in the overall housing stock in a given urban area with such steady pattern of conversions (UN Habitat, 2007). The recent enumeration of housing stock expressed a serious concern over the high shortage of housing stock in medium density of residential neighbourhoods of Bida metropolis of which, a few available stock experiencing steady conversions for commercial uses (Enumeration Area Demarcation, 2018).

Sydney, (2012); opined that an urban centre experiencing rapid economic growth faces continuous changes in residential to commercial land uses and would consequently, results to decaying in the fabric of it housing neighbourhoods over time in diverse ways. So also, the spatial distribution of commercial activities in the adjourning residential areas could be traced to profit maximisation motives of the business operators as result of the easy accessibility in the residential neighbourhoods closer to the central districts. These scenarios demonstrate mixed land uses resulting to traffic congestion and slum formation in residential areas thereby, contributing to rapid decay in the residential infra structural systems.

Bida town in the last two decades has witnessed remarkable physical developments of which the Urban Development Boards saddled the with responsibilities of monitoring developments need to do so at regular intervals for sustainable urban environment (Lami & Umar, 2018). Though, the mandate of the Urban Development Boards in spreading wider awareness on the registration requirements andplanning procedures for change of uses has being disregarded; thus, resulting to steady conversions of residential to com mercial land uses without form alising the process for such changes. The illustration above represents the specific problem with land use change in Bida town that this study ought to address.

Therefore, it has been established that the general goal of analysing land use changes is centred majorly on “drivers, trends and effects”. Several researches on land use changes in Nigerian cities mainly revealed its processes and causes of which none of the studies carried out, analyses the trends and effects of land use changes on housing delivery in Bida town; owing to the fact that the urban centre is witnessing continuous changes in land use over the years (Lami & Umar, 2018). Though, registration require-ments for change of use have being less emphasis ed in the previous studies; as such no substantial efforts made at documenting the land use dynamics in Bida urban. Virtually also, the previous studies did not make any attempt at documenting the extent at which sprawling of commercial activities in the residential neighbourhoods contributes to housing deficit for the last two decades in the neighbourhoods of the study interest. Previous researches relating to this study made use of spatial analytical tool; geo-referencing the study areas in classifying land use types to ascertain the processes and causes of land use changes in urban centres. Whereas, none of these studies analysed land use changes using statist ical techniques like Statistical Mean Scores, Simple Perce ntages and  Paired  Sampled t-Test  to  scientifically ascertain  the  factors,  trends  and effects that land uses outside the central business districts has on housing delivery; by a way of improving the quality of results and deductions made from data collected for this research work.

1.3  Aim and Objectives of the Study

The study is aim at analysing land use changes in Bida town (1998-2018); with a view to enhancing housing delivery.

In achieving this aim; the following objectives are set out to:

(i)      Examine factors responsible for commercial activities changing locations from the

(ii)     Central business districts to residential neighbourhoods of the study area.

(iii)     Assess the rate at which land use changes from residential to commercial uses in the study area between 1998-2018.

(iv)     Determine the effect of land use changes on housing delivery in Bida town.

1.4   Research Questions

This study intends to proffer answers to the following research questions:

(i) Why are businesses changing locations from the central business districts to the resid ential neighbo-urhoods of Bida town?

(ii) What is the rate at which commercial activities encroaches residential areas in Bida t own (1998-2018)?

(iii) How has the increasing land use changes in residential areas affect housing delivery din Bida town?

1.5   Justification for the Study

The increasing socio-economic activities are critical in changing the pattern of land uses in a given urban centre over time; and this is becoming a source of concern in the sense that, the progressive trends in urbanisation trigger land use changes (Enisan & Aluko, 2015; Yahaya & Ishiak, 2013). This study focused on the analysis of land use changes; with a view to enhancing housing delivery. There is therefore, the need to analyse the drivers of land use changes and informing the key players in urban land management on the effects of such changes. Undoubtedly, continuous changes in land use as against the planning regulations will results to rapid decaying in the infrastructural systems of the housing environment in ways that it allow for slum formation, congestion in traffic flows and physical development challenges due to undesired mix uses of land (Sydney, 2012).

Bida town has over the years experiencing population explosion with greater pressure on commercial land uses; thereby, attracting commercial activities away from the central business districts to residential areas in an unchecked manner. Therefore, reduces the available housing stock due disproportionate replacement of the residential property taken over by commercial uses within the same neighbourhoods (Ismaila & Husain, 2015).

Several studies however, were undertaken in order to analyse the rate at which land use changes in urban centres. For instance, Sydney (2012) carried out a study on the effects of residential to commercial land use changes  on formal housing stock in  Lusaka, Zambia and identified the principal factors responsible for residential lots being converted to commercial premises to include: failure of the central business district to further contains the increasing business activities and raising demand for commercial land uses.

The study revealed that the main effect of this development is shortfall in the overall fo- rmal housing stock due to the influx of business activities into the residential areas of th e city. Oluseyi (2006), in his study on an analysis of urban land use changes in Ibadan metropolis within the period of 1972 to 2003 revealed that the type of land use that is commonly prone to conversions is residential buildings changing to commercial prem- ises which mostly occurs within the transition zone of the urban centre. Egbenta (2009), conducted a research on the factors responsible for residential land use changes in Enugu metropolitan areas from 1998 to 2008; and find out that profit maximization motive, increasing demand for commercial premises, demolition of older buildings and inefficiencies in the planning regulations were top most drivers of land use changes in the metropolis. Adebayo (2009), analyse the impact of land use change on property values in Victoria Island of Lagos metropolis with the aid of questionnaires administered randomly to the selected respondents in the study area.

The data obtained were presented and analysed with the use of simple descriptive statistics. The findings shows that there were enormous changes in land use from reside ntial to commercial uses which led to corresponding variation in property rental values in the neighborhoods. Whereas, questionnaires were administered by the previous stud- ies to analyse the effect of land use changes in urban centres; seeking the respondents‟ opinions by adopting spatial ana lytical techniques only; none of these studies analyse l and use changes using descriptive and inferential techniques like Simple Percentages, Coefficient of Variation, Statistical Mean Score, Paired Sampled t-Test to scientifically ascertain the drivers, trends and effects of land use changes; in measuring the degree of changes between residential and commercial land uses over time.

Virtually also, no attempt has been made at documenting the changes in residential land use for the last two decades in Bida town by the previous researchers. In order to co- mplement the inputs of the past researchers in this area of study; more scientific and statistical approaches are employed to establish whether the sprawling of commercial activities in the residential neighbourhoods contributes to housing deficit. This study therefore hopes to serve as a basis that predicts future likelihood changes in land use for further research studies on the related topic.

The findings of this study will enlighten reader on the drivers, trends and effects of land use changes and how it affects housing delivery over the years. Property owners/users will adequately be informed on the indices responsible for commercial activities extending on the residential areas, thereby broaden their awareness on the rate at which business activities sprawling into residential neigbourhoods of the study area. It will also spread the needed awareness on the consequences of business cycles, as demand for new buildings is highly sensitive to short-term output changes. The result of this work will be useful to urban planners in tackling inefficiencies of land use regulations which in recent time has resulted grossly to land users not adhering to planning regulations. In this regard, the Urban Development Boards will be guided on the need for a well- articulated planning brief that specifies commercial land use requirements and registration procedures for change of land uses in Bida town; and forestalling the negative  effects  of  land  use  changes  on  housing  delivery.  Also,  the  urban  land managers, particularly Estate Surveyors and Valuers will get a better understanding of the dynamics of land use changes as it affects housing stock (Sydney, 2012). Therefore, getting adequate information on the drivers, trends and effects of residential to commercial land use changes.

1.6 The Scope of the Study

This study focus on the analysis of land use changes; with a view to examining its effect on housing delivery in Bida urban. Specific considerations were given to the fringe of the central business districts where steady conversions in residential to commercial uses take place; like Cenema-Mokwala which is marked as the high density area, Esso-BCC Avenue as a medium density neighbourhood while having Gbangbara-Texaco district as the low density residential neighbourhood. A study of this nature require reasonable time frame to source for relevant data for analysis. The span of twenty years is an ample period in analysing land use changes as observed from the past studies. As such analysis for this study cover between years 1998 to 2018.

1.7 The Study Area

1.7.1 Geographical Location

Bida  town  is  located in  the South-West of  Niger State,  Nigeria which  lies  at  the southwest of Minna, the State capital on the A124 highway (a regional road) linking Ilorin to Minna and Abuja. The urban centre has an area of 1.698km² and a population of 266,008 (National Population Census, 2006) with 9°05′N, 6°01′E, 9.083°N, 6.017°E, Coordinates.

Bida is a dry arid town being marked the second largest urban centre in the State; with Nupe being the predominant tribe. Bida is the headquarters of the  Nupe Kingdom consisting the following districts, such as Katcha, Lapai, Mokwa, Pategi, Lemu, Enagi, Baddeggi, Agaie, Kutigi and other towns. The people of Bida town are also known for its Durbar festival and in the production of glass and brassware. The town contains also Institutions  like  The  Federal  Polytechnic  Bida,  Federal  Medical  Centre  Bida  and National Palm Oil Research Institute (Max Lock, 1980).

1.7.2  Climate

Bida town lies in the middle belt of Nigeria, Bida experiences a unique dry and wet seasons. The wet season last for 210days annually, beginning from April to October; with  an  average annual  rainfall  of 122.7mm  having  July and  September recording highest rainfall between 226mm to 300mm and 240mm to 350mm respectively (Max Lock, 1980).

The cold harmattan wind ushers in the dry season, which becomes hottest between March and April, just before the set in of another season. The monthly temperature is highest  in  March  and  is  about  37.1oc.  Bida  though  hot,  is  blessed  with  moderate climatic conditions almost throughout the year. As a result of the climate being the tropical in nature, the sunshine duration ranges between eight – ten hours a day and ranging from about 30°c – 3 7.0°c annually with the highest temperature recorded in the month of march. However, the marked increase in cloud cover during the months of July, august and September makes the hours of sunshine per day, drop sharply to an average of about four hours (Max Lock, 1980).

The normal onset of the rains is from about the middle of March. The end of the rainy season is around the middle of October to early November. Consequently, the duration of the rainy season varies from about 190 days to 240 days amounting to annual mean rainfall approximately 1,650mm per annum. About 60 percent of the annual rains fall during the months of July to September (Ishaya & Maisamari, 2008). The beginning and the end of the season is characterized by frequent occurrences of squall lines. This is a weather condition that is heralded by the occurrence of Cumulus-nimbus cloud. It is accompanied by thunder and lightning, followed by strong winds and rainfall of very high intensity (Max Lock, 1980).

Another feature of the rainfall is its mean monthly distribution. There is a very high concentration of rainfall in the mid-year months during which about 57 percent of the annual rainfall is recorded. The feature also shows a sharp drop in the total amount received immediately following the three month period of very high concentration (Max Lock, 1980).

The humidity of the town rises everywhere during the rainy season and falls inseparably during the dry season within the town. In the afternoon relative humidity of the town cloud rise above 60 percent during the rainy season and fall to as 30 percent during the dry season (Max Lock, 1980).

1.7.3  Relief and Drainage

Valleys and hills are common features of this settlement occurring some three to four kilometres west of the present developed areas. Occasional small steep hills rise 20m to 25m above sea level and the drained gutter slopping between the valleys. Most gradient are around 1:40 part of mesas and along the edge of the valleys north and south of the City. The southern valley does not adequately flows to the west as the river Gbako forms a barrier and the whole area between the valley and the hill measures some 100sqkms. The TowL;P9On is drained by landzu streams which flows across the heart of the Town with its other seasonal tributaries that are today guily routes (Max Lock, 1980).

1.7.4  Vegetation and Soil

The urban area lies in the basement complex and the Nupe sandstone formation. The basement complex is made of coarse sands or clays, surf stones and the soil with thick sandstone and the larger portions consisting of the undulating plains with very deep soils. Most soil were classified as ferisols that normally occupy the higher elevation of the terrain and a lower levels. Soils in dispositional areas are weakly developed ashruns or hydromorphic soil (Max Lock, 1980).

Bida is in the vegetarial region of Guinea savannah. The region is characterised majorly by grass land with trees and shrubs scattered all over the green space. The increase human activities have altered the natural vegetation in some parts of the City. Most grown trees in the area include parkia Filhu (Golden locus bean trees), Mangifera indica (mangoes, Azadirata indica (neem tree) and shear butter tree among others (Max Lock, 1980). The dominant soil types found in Bida include combisols and to some extent lithosol in the upper slopes of the interfluves of Bida and luvisols are the major soil type found on the foot slope plains (American Planning Association, 1916). The luvisols are product of down wash from the hills and they form on these foot plains, that is, the soil is merged with interfluves comprising the natural landscape that are continually been eroded by streams and sheet-wash from the hills. The character of this soil type varies as between upper, middle and lower slopes (Max Lock, 1980).

Riparian vegetation complex is the type of forest found in Bida and it consists of a complex of varying floristic composition and physiognomy. Consequently, there are units in the complex that can be characterized as high forest, while others are no more than woodland and thickets (Max Lock, 1980). Riparian complex that can be described as  thickets  and  woodlands  are  relatively  of  lows  stature.  Furthermore,  a  few  tall elements may be found as emergent, with vegetation crowns above the continuous „roof of the thickets or woodlands (Max Lock, 1980). Savanna woodlands are another type of vegetation found around Bida. They are the most luxuriant and are fire tolerant. They include ground vegetation dominated by grasses and also a continuous canopy, the trunk becomes more prominent and a large number of shrubs however exist between the trunks and also grasses are dominant on the floor in herb layer in which other important herbs are found within the housing areas of the city (Bruin et al., 2000).

1.7.5 Land Use and Human Activities in Bida Urban

The built up area of Bida as at late 2017 was over 3.170 hectares (Town planning office, Bida) .Figure 1.3 show different land uses in the Metropolitan areas.

About 50 percent of the built areas can be found within the high density of the city which lies in the circumference of the traditional walls. In the recent time, the urban area  expands  outwardly  due  to  population  growth.  However,  there  are  two  major patterns of informal sector activities in the settlement; these are agricultural activities (farming, hunting & livestock rearing). While commercial activities include trading and manufacturing. The survey conducted indicates that fuel-wood is the main stay of rural energy supply and this has been on the increase as a result of growth in population and the high cost of alternative sources of energy hence increasing emission through deforestation and thereby worsening the impact of climate changes.

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