*“Creating wealth and opportunities for communities”
By Imran O. Shitta-Bey
Increased urbanisation and population explosion, propelled by a culture of impunity left Lagos vulnerable to a proliferation of urban slums and shanty towns with a myriad of environmental problems, traffic gridlock, over-stretched and depleted infrastructures, social deprivation, high poverty rate, high crime rate and other social ills.
Faced with such challenges, the administration of urban planning cannot afford to be passive any longer. For our own survival, a re-invigorated system ought to seek out in the most pro-active manner, sustainable developments that can help tackle the monumental socio-economic and environmental problems that are a natural spill-off of unmanaged population growth. Thus, Planning, if well understood and effectively deployed, is the ultimate tool to help create wealth and opportunities for communities; one of the main indices of good governance.
At the center of governance, this will involve evolving a planning policy regime comprised of laws, policies and a regulatory framework composed of trained qualified and incentivised personnel both at regional and local level that can deliver an effective and unbiased administration of planning policy.
Though efforts have been made by successive administrations, there is much work to be done to reform law, policy and administrative framework to bring us to our desired destination. To appreciate the need for reform, it is important that we recognise key planning objectives that new legislation, policies and re-organisation can help to achieve.
Key Planning Objectives to shape reform:
1. Managing Population Growth and Change
2. Providing Infrastructure To Support Growth (Physical, Social and Green Infrastructures) and;
3. Creating Wealth and Opportunities for Communities
In a subsequent publication, the author will discuss how each of these policy objectives can be deployed to promote sustainable development and regenerative growth in Lagos or indeed in any other urban center within Nigeria..
To be continued.
