CONTEMPORARY ISSUES IN URBAN LAGOS

This study uses Lagos to explore the complexity of urban systems, including housing, transportation, public life, energy, and consumerism. In order to bridge the gaps of inadequacy that the government as a separate entity has been unable to fill, non-state actors play a significant role in the involvement and contribution of existing systems in the extremely multicultural metropolis of Lagos.

Water

Lagos has a coastline that is around 180 km long and is encircled by the Atlantic Ocean and the Lagoon. The city’s average elevation is less than 15 metres above sea level, and there is an annual average rainfall of 2000 millimetres. With over 40% of its land area covered by mangrove wetlands and water bodies, Lagos’ coastal areas are made up of lagoons, creeks, swamps, large interior lagoons, and marshes (Jideonwo 2014).

Despite this, the distribution and access to high-quality water for epileptics in urbanising Lagos is severely hampered by a huge demand-supply gap. The amount of water required for daily life cannot be completely controlled by the government, communities, or other non-state players.

Onwe (2013)

Mobility

Mobility encompasses more than just the movement of people and things. It has strong ties to the economy, society, and movement of information. We focus on mobility primarily from the standpoint of transportation. 90% of all passengers and commodities are moved by road in Lagos, which is the main means of transportation. In addition, roughly 40% of all city journeys are performed via non-motorized transit (NMT), primarily walking (Adejumo 2010). Lagos’s roads are already very crowded due to the rising number of private vehicles and the city’s sparse road system. However, there is not enough infrastructure for NMT because the routes seem to be designed exclusively for cars.