Posted: 2022 | Pages: 99| Format: MS Word | Chapters: 1-5 | Others: Questionnaires & References

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CHAPTER ONE

• INTRODUCTION

1.1    BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

Over the years Enugu has grown in importance as an administrative, industrial and commercial city. Throughout its development from a primitive agricultural settlement of the native Ngwo people, through the urban era of the British Colonial administration, to the present status of the city, a continuous upsurge of rural dwellers to the city in search of employment, education and better living condition has always occurred. Regrettably, successive governments have failed to put in place viable plans and projects aimed at upgrading urban houses, infrastructure and social amenities.

Consequently, as more and more people migrate into Enugu, the urban poor have as usual demonstrated their rugged capacity to survive. Thus, they have bought land and built houses made of wood, corrugated iron sheets, plastics, plywoods, asbestos sheets and all manner of inferior materials at the urban fringe of Enugu. Okoye (1979) pointed out that one of the major factors accounting for urban decay in Nigeria is the use of outdated and inferior building materials. Such trends could be clearly seen in layouts like Ugbo-Odogwu, Ugbo Alfred, Emene and Abakpa.

Further, the rapid growth in the population of Enugu soon led to the over use of the few available urban houses thus leading to overcrowding. This led the poor to embark on the construction of shanty neighbourhoods, which are slum areas ab-initio, at the outskirts of Enugu. Recently, the Enugu State Government has tried to demolish these shanties, but demolition without proper arrangement for alternative housing is not a permanent solution to the problem. This is because experience has shown that no sooner than the shanties are destroyed, the urban poor just move a little distance away from their original position and set up new shanties. Abumere (1987) opined that such shanties are found within 1.0km radius of urban fringe.

Furthermore, the land owning communities is Enugu such as Nike, Amaechi, Awkunanaw, Ugwuaji, Emene communities, etc are not helping matters at all. They often engage the services of quacks in the preparation of New layouts thus relegating qualified Town Planners to the background. This results in further creation of shanties and slum even before the layouts are fully implemented.

Besides, in the midst of all these chaos, the Town Planning Authorities in Enugu have not been able to implement layout planning schemes with seriousness. This is partly due to corrupt practices, attitude problems and political influences. Thus the interpretation of layout plans by planning authorities has become subjective. The general lack of concern for physical planning and development control measures in Emene, Enugu has entrenched in the layout a scenario of haphazard development.

Thus Emene layout in Enugu is characterized by poor street patterns, lack of drainage facilities, water logged street, road side traders blocking the streets and easements, poor building lines and setbacks, abuse of open spaces, farming on road reserves, erection of unauthorized structures, indiscriminate dumping of refuse and solid waste, excessive plot coverage, lack of infrastructural facilities, to mention only but a few.

These situations which prevail currently in Emene layout Enugu call for urgent action by way of urban renewal. Thus this research work deemed it necessary to examine citizens’ participation in Urban renewal of Emene residential Area in Enugu Urban Area.