ASSESSMENT OF TRANSFORMATION FROM LOW TO MIDDLE INCOME HOUSING ON SHAGARI LOW INCOME-HOUSING ESTATE, AKURE, NIGERIA

Abstract

The study investigated housing transformation from low to middle-income housing and its impact on Shagari village in Akure Ondo State Nigeria. The analysis of the socio-economic and cultural characteristics of the residents, the reason for and physical transformations of land and building uses were examined. The effect of housing transformation on sustainable environment in the estate was also investigated. The general approach to this study was exploratory and descriptive, based on both qualitative and quantitative research techniques. The survey method was employed using questionnaires. The respondents were 394 household which was selected randomly selected from a total of 3941 households in the estate. In addition, in-depth interviews were conducted on ten (10) members of staff which were selected purposely for the administration of questionnaire at the federal housing corporation. The data collected were subjected to statistical analyses using frequencies, percentages and Pearson Product Moment Correlation (PPMC). The results revealed that the Estate consisted of households with diverse social and economic backgrounds living together. The result also showed that 70.5% of the total residents had transformed their houses. The nature of transformation observed were mainly the addition of more bedrooms either for private or commercial purposes, enlargement of some domestic interior spaces for convenience, conversion of existing dwelling spaces to shops and other forms of business outfits and outright reconstruction of an entire building. The process of transformation for most of the residents, as evident from the data, begins with the addition of more bedrooms followed by erection of perimeter fences with the majority sourcing for fund through personal savings. It was discovered that the forms of transformations prevalent in these Low-Income housing Estates were mostly related to economic and social needs. The study reveals both the negative and positive impacts of transformation on the Estate and the residents. The research recommends strict control measure, redesign of housing schemes, provision of more infrastructural facilities and Federal and State Ministry of Housing and Urban Development should come up development control measure so as to guide development within the Estate.