Urban Development of the City of Lagos

Urban Development of the City of Lagos
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December 9, 2022
Understanding citizens' various present and future needs are at the heart of any urban development plan. For this reason, urban development planners should be able to balance the state's long-term goals and the people's needs during the development of any new city. In this article, the author would like to focus on the importance of good governance and a policy of inclusiveness to create new cities that would ensure the best results for everyone. As such, the following sections will focus on lessons that could be gleaned from other cities that were developed and are currently in development. All in all, it is the author's belief that knowing how to create a more inclusive and properly governed city is essential for the success of the city of Lagos.
Development of New Cities
One of the most critical aspects that urban planners must consider is the inclusivity policy to achieve the long-term goals of such redevelopment. For the most part, new cities are built to create new economic and social hubs, aiming to increase cash flow to and from the cityscape. However, despite the seeming success of new cities, several problems tend to arise in and outside of the city, such as gentrification, the increase of slums outside cityscapes, and even the resulting anomie and lawlessness in other areas.
One example of this problem is in the case of Lagos. As Packer (2006) said, Lagos had experienced a severe increase in the number of inhabitants in recent decades, which caused various issues like an increase in crime rate, lack of employment opportunities, poverty, and a significant reduction in the city's carrying capacity. In fact, some commentaries from experts suggest that if such conditions were to continue in the coming decades, then it is possible for the city to become totally unlivable (Princewill, 2021). Thus, for Lagos to become inclusive, the authorities should strike the right balance between economic growth and the well-being of the people. This capability to balance these two could be deemed good governance.
On the one hand, Lagos may be governed effectively by making it a more economically viable urban landscape. Contrary to popular belief, a city cannot be inclusive by giving too much leeway to everybody residing in it or allowing the population to grow past its carrying capacity. In fact, the World Bank (n.d.) provides that one of the essential elements in making an inclusive city is 'economic inclusivity,' which is defined as "creating jobs and giving urban residents the opportunity to enjoy the benefits of economic growth." In other words, the current state of the city of Lagos is far from being inclusive, not because of the resident's access to the place, but because of the lack of employment opportunities, high crime rate, and the overall anomie that is presently happening within.
In line with this, one of the things that could be done to improve the city's ability is shifting slum areas to nearby communities while providing the occupant's necessary means of living. Reducing the city's internal population should be the first step in increasing both its habitability and 'investability' from outsid...