Urban Sprawl and Loss of Agricultural Land in Peri-urban Areas of Lagos
Urban Sprawl and Loss of Agricultural Land in Peri-urban Areas of Lagos

Summary/Abstract: Examinations of ‘peri-urban’ remain elusive andoften neglected by urban planners. However, thesetransitional zones are constantly under pressure byincreasing populations from inner cities andmigrants from the surrounding rural areas. Theresult in most developing countries is uncontrolledor unplanned landscapes. Although urban growth isinevitable and land use changes are imminent asperi-urban expansions of cities, peri-urban areas arepivotal regarding the agricultural resourcesnecessary to urban survival. Understanding thedevelopment patterns, emerging urban forms, andtheir influences on peri-urban areas require anunderstanding of development decisions. Suchknowledge will help decision makers and urbanmanagers develop appropriate policies to addressgrowth in ‘edge’ cities. This study focuses on theorganic growth of Ikorodu, a peri-urbanmunicipality on the outskirts of Lagos that emergedfrom a sleepy farming community with a populationless than 100,000 in 1975 to a vibrant city exceedingone million residents in 2015. The study employs amulti-temporal remote sensing and GIS analysis todetect the urban pattern and emergent form over a40-year period from 1975 to 2015. An empiricalanalysis was performed using survey data on 300homeowners in 61 communities to identify theinfluences of rapid growth and the responses ofplanners to the city’s growth.

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