Paper (26): Assessing habitats of vulnerability in African cities: A case of poverty housing in Ibadan Metropolis.
Abstract: Most cities in developing countries have witnessed unprecedented rapid urbanization and urban growth which many researchers likened to urbanization of poverty. The physical manifestation of this phenomenon has triggered a proliferation of unplanned, informal settlements, insecurity of tenure, and inadequately maintained essential/infrastructural services, occurring in low-income countries including Nigeria. The failure of the urban planning/housing development policies and lack of risk reduction initiatives have increased the vulnerability of urban communities and their inhabitants. As more than a billion urban residents are now living in deplorable conditions. In response to this situation, the study aimed at assessing the urban poor’s vulnerability to poverty housing and inhuman neighbourhood environment, through a well-structured questionnaires survey administered to 386 households in three selected communities in Ibadan metropolis, in order to understand the degree of vulnerability and level of compliance with city development and housing policy.The study also examines the strengths and weaknesses of the urban planning policies, so as to provide possible measures for solutions and recommendations to mitigate disaster risk.
Keywords: Cities, Developing countries, Risk reduction, Vulnerability, Urbanization, Urban poor.
Biography: Mr. Rafiu Salami is a Post Graduate Research Student and casual academic at School of Architecture and Built Environment, University of Newcastle Australia. Rafiu earned Master of Technology degree in Architecture from the Federal University of Technology, Akure, Nigeria in 2011 and he is a registered member of Architectural Educators in Nigeria. He has over ten years teaching experience in Architecture and Construction Management courses. These include Architectural design, Building Construction Technology and Construction Ecology. He is a member of the disaster and development research group at the University of Newcastle, Australia.
