PLANNING FOR THE URBAN INFORMAL SECTOR IN ABUJA CITY

By

Author

Presented To

Department of Environmental Design

ABSTRACT
The menace of informal sector activities has reached an alarming stage that is causing concern to city authorities. This is because the sector proliferates at a very last rate. Also because of the small capital involved in the investment, they have the tendency to locate anywhere; along the roads, sidewalks, under trees and any empty lot where they do not only cause traffic congestion, delays etc. but also create nuisance by generating waste and poor methods of waste disposal. Various attempts have been made by authorities responsible to carve the environmental and physical problems posed by this sector. The solutions mostly adopted by these authorities are relocation to areas outside the urban rim and demolition. However, these actions do not seem to solve the problem, because the actions taken are casual and adhoc without detailed survey and analysis of the problems involved. Various categories of informal sector activities were identified. However, major categories that pose a threat to physical planning and management were selected for this study. These are the automechanics, electrical and electronics services, carpentry and woodworks, metal works, retail trade, food canteens and shoe repair services. This study therefore, has been undertaken to offer effective planning solutions to these problems. The study covers the first developed districts of Abuja city (Garki, Wuse, Asokoro and Maitama) and neighboring phase II - IV where there are pockets of developments. The findings of the field study include many important planning issues, such as locational preference to traffic points, major roads, public areas which results to traffic delays and accidents.There is occurrence of high degree of land use mixing, incompactible uses sited together, which create nuisance, inconveniences and ugly sight. As a result of little space required, little capital, they locate haphazardly, so They lack necessary utilities, facilities needed for their operation. They use cheap and old materials for constructing of workshops which present ugly sight. The operators of the informal activities have law educational training and in most cases law perception of environmental quality, thus waste disposal methods are far from adequate planning principles and Standards were derived from the findings, and it can serve as a basis for subsequent imp lenient at ion of development plans, thereby enhancing their efficiency and reducing urban management problems. Integration of informal sector activities within the city plan, proper spatial organisation, and appropriate locations within the neighborhoods and districts will reduce their menace and ease management problems.