The Challenges of Urban Sprawl Development in Suleja, Niger State

Abstract

Urban sprawl has been used to describe a wide variety of the undesirable aspects of urban growth; it is consciously referred to as, unplanned and uncontrolled development resulting in poor and much unplanned urban fringe. Across the world, there is growing concern and awareness about urban sprawl and its consequences, as urban system are evolving and emerging in surprising ways. Urban sprawl is a major problem in the course of development in developed and developing countries. This paper aimed at examining the challenges of sprawl development in selected neighbourhood of Suleja. The objectives are to examine the drivers of urban sprawl and challenges of urban sprawl development in the peri-urban of Suleja. Remote sensing along with Global Positioning System (GPS) and Geographical Information System (GIS) were helpful in this regards. This study reveals that the development of urban sprawl settlement in the suburbs of Suleja is as a result of rapid population increase and its proximity to Abuja, the Nigeria Federal Territory. The cost of land which is relatively cheap at the suburb has caused the shift in population to the peri-urban of the town forming a sprawled like characteristics of development, the town is growing without a proper planning, despites its advantageous location and proximity to the Federal Capital of Nigeria. Weakness of the physical planning agencies in enforcing planning standards, rules and regulation is the evidence of the current t pattern of growth of the town. However, the impact of urban sprawl development in Suleja is enormous; range from environmental to transportation and to economy. In order to reduce further impact, the peri-urban of Suleja should be planned and developed in the view and assumptions of Vence‘s theory of urban realm; creating a suburb that is independently sustainable and functional viable.