MICRO-HOUSING DEVELOPMENT AS FEATURE OF CLASS STRATIFICATION IN THE JOS METROPOLIS OF PLATEAU STATE, NIGERIA

Abstract

In every human society social classes exist and most often identified by the kind of food they eat, the clothes they wear, their means of transportation, and the kind of houses in which they live. This paper identifies housing as one of the commonest features by which social classes in the Jos metropolis can be identified. In this direction, attempt is made to link micro-housing with low and middle-income groups in the Jos metropolis. In this process, the metropolis was divided into ten clusters, using road networks as boundary lines, after which, one neighbourhood was selected at random in each of the clusters and a systematic sampling method was used to decide the number of questionnaires to be administered in each neighbourhood depending on the number of micro-housing in each of the selected neighbourhoods. A total of 244 questionnaires were administered to household heads who happen to be the owners of the micro houses. This was followed by data cleaning and compilation through the use of Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) and frequencies and percentages were used for descriptive statistical results which were presented in tables and charts. Findings show that the micro housing occupants are predominantly the low and middle income groups. The majority of the houses are compound type and multiple row housing which are characterized by shared kitchens, bathrooms and toilets. Some of the houses are developed without building plans and building permits or approvals by the urban development authorities. It is recommended that government or housing authorities concerned can help solve this problem by reviewing these procedures and as well reduce the fees payable for the approval of building plans and other related documents. Standards too should be reviewed to incorporate micro housing design elements into the overall set of building standards. Finally the improvement in technological ideas of manufacturing building materials like locally made burnt bricks will also reduce cost of production and increase quality and durability of micro housing.