ASSESSMENT OF OPEN SPACES LANDSCAPE IN FEDERAL UNIVERSITIES IN SOUTH-WEST, NIGERIA

Abstract

Open spaces and their landscapes are important components of university campuses. They have wider coverage areas compared with buildings and are crucial to the effective functioning of campus built environments. However, design decisions are directed toward what the designers want to accomplish for their own identity, the spaces are used in ways that were only partially predicted and there is lack of feedback into the design process, leading to repetition of design mistakes. Consequences include poor spatial and visual qualities of university campuses in South-West Nigeria. This research therefore aimed at assessing the open spaces landscape of Federal Universities in South-West Nigeria with a view to evolving evidence-based design frameworks. Its specific objectives include identification of the status of the users, evaluation of perceptions of qualities of the different types of open spaces, analyses of the relationship between status and perceptions of qualities, determination of the factors influencing satisfaction and development of design frameworks for university campus open spaces (UCOS) in the study area. The study involved a cross-sectional survey of 3,016 users of open spaces in the academic and administrative zones of the six Federal Universities in the study area. Structured questionnaire designed in multiple choice and Likert-type scale were used to collect necessary information about the respondents and other issues in the research questions, objectives and hypotheses. The data obtained were subjected to statistical analyses and interpretations by using descriptive (Frequency tables, Percentages, Charts) and inferential (Chi square, Kruskal Wallis H tests, Correlation tests, Regression analysis) statistics. Results suggest that status of users, peculiar use of the spaces, and factors influencing satisfaction account for perceptions of qualities of the open spaces. This led to the development of four new interrelated design frameworks which are recommended for best practices as design tool-kits and feedbacks into the design process of UCOS which should be generally pedestrian, safe, convivial, provide adequate mix of uses and planning connections to avoid abuse and misuse. Their design should be driven with the notion of ‘academic’ and ‘gender’ spaces. Therefore, this research has contributed to the body of knowledge by generating information and understanding on the use and the requirements of users for open spaces landscape for the benefit of campus communities. It developed design frameworks on the satisfactory means of designing open spaces landscape in the Federal Universities’ campuses in South-West Nigeria. These will enhance strategies of achieving sense of place for physical, mental, and emotional health of the stakeholders in the University campus