Federal government urged to prioritize urban renewal projects

A town planning consultant, Mr Olaide Afolabi, on Wednesday urged the federal and state governments to give priority to urban renewal projects across the country.

Afolabi, President, Association of Town Planning Consultants of Nigeria (ATOPCON), gave the advice in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos.

He said that urban renewal remained the veritable tool through which more accommodation could be created for the teeming population.

According to Afolabi, urban renewal entails removal and demolition of slums, small apartments, shanties, bungalows, among others that flooded the country, to build modernised structures that will accommodate more people.

He said that urban renewal involved complete upgrade of the slums, which make up 75 per cent of the environment, and other areas.

“Urban renewal is the housing scheme the country can adopt to overcome its housing deficit and be developed.

“Urban renewal can be in the form of demolition of the shanties to construct modernised and high-rise buildings that will accommodate more people,” he said.

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Afolabi said that urban renewal was what some foreign countries like China and Singapore applied to develop their economy and grow their housing sector.

He, however, noted that availability of land had been a major factor hindering growth of housing development.

According to him, urban renewal will pave way for maximum/optimal ultilisation of the limited land to construct the needed houses.

“With urban renewal, land will be optimally ultilised to construct buildings that will harbour more people because the shanties and illegal structures which occupy spaces will be demolished.

“Economically, urban renewal triggers local economic development and improves urban mobility and connectivity.

“It also improves the physical living conditions, improves the general well-being of communities, strengthens local social and cultural capital networks and creates job opportunities,” he said.