3.5 Conceptual framework 54
3.5.4 Sustainable city development 60
The existing morphology of the city of Lagos shows that the poor have been dispersed to the periphery that is far from their place of employment and other economic opportunities.
Furthermore, their daily movement negatively impacts the environment. From a sustainability perspective, some of the poor therefore need to be relocated to the inner city. Their current residential location defies the social, environmental, cultural and economic principles of sustainable development. Given this background, sustainable development should be a significant consideration in the formulation and implementation of housing policies. Inclusionary housing and sustainable development are inextricably bound and complement each other. The President’s Council on Sustainable Development in the United State of America (USA) (1999) noted that the key to building sustainable communities is to recognise that economic opportunities, ecological integrity and social equity are interlocked in the chain of well-being. This implies that sustainable development should include the society, economy and the environment as shown in figure 3.5.
Figure 3.5: The components of sustainable development
Source: Edward and Edward, 2010
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Among other objectives, sustainable development entails the more efficient use of resources like land, reducing automobile use and the protection of open spaces which inclusionary housing could promote. The inclusionary housing envisaged for the inner city of central Lagos is capable of meeting these objectives. In addition, it will create vital places that use space and public infrastructure more efficiently by reducing the space friction between the place of residence and the place of economic activities. There are a plethora of definitions of sustainability, leading authors like Edward & Edwards (2010) and Jerffery (2006) to describe it as a “shifting concept” depending on the context in which it is applied and the values that inform decision making. The World Commission on Environment and Development (WECD) Brundtland Commission report of 1987 and the 1992 Rio de Janeiro Earth Summit offer understandings that have been universally accepted. The WCED (1987 p.8) defines sustainable development as “development that meets the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs”. Since its popularization by the Brundtland Commission in 1987, sustainable development as a framework for human development has been incorporated in all aspects of human systems – social, economic and environmental. The term was first used in 1972 in a study of global resources and was popularized during the 1992 World Earth Summit on Human Settlement in Rio de Janeiro. Jenks (2000, p.3) describes sustainable development as development that does not require resources above its environmental ability, is equitable, promotes social justice, and is created through inclusive decision making procedures. Sustainable city development recognizes the fact that, like all natural systems, human settlements are intrinsically prone to degeneration and change. The city itself according to Isabelle et al. (2016) is a system that is made up of interrelated units, one of which is the land use system of which housing is a major component. Edward and Edwards (2010) identify best practices of land use development that can promote sustainable city development, including work-housing proximity, mixed land use, housing affordability and housing diversity in terms of style, type and tenure, as well as higher density residential development and a sense of place. All of these land use practices have the ability to promote sustainable development in the inner city of Lagos.
Sustainable city development is all encompassing and could be construed as a city that is made available for the present generation without compromising its availability for future generations. A sustainable city is one where goods and services like housing are not only built but are evenly distributed and the poor are not segregated in making their choices. For example, Jerfferey (2006) regards a sustainable city as one that is compact in form and
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structure, is characterized by mixed uses and allows for efficient utilization of land. In addition, such cities must be human centres that emphasize access and circulation by modes of transport other than motorized vehicles, absorb a high, inclusive proportion of employment and residential growth and de-concentrate poverty (Schwartz 1997). This description suits the thrust of this study – inclusionary inner city housing. It facilitates a balance between the conservation of natural resources and the need for development whilst improving the value of human life within the carrying capacity of the supporting ecosystems. The concept encompasses three general policy areas, economic, environmental and social, that are interdependent and jointly reinforcing. Aluko (2010) defines sustainable development as a state in which human activities do not permanently damage or deplete environmental resources, while the WECD’s (1987) definition seeks to reconcile the conflicts that occur between economic development, ecological preservation, and intergenerational equity. In light of this discussion, inclusionary housing promotes sustainability due to its ability to promote social equity, generate economic growth and equity and promote environmental conservation.
As a basic social and economic good, housing is thus central to sustainable development. The aspects of housing that pertain to this concept include housing location and design and how well it is woven in to the environmental, social, cultural and economic aspects of the city, as well as pricing and distribution.
In terms of location, Horner (2002) and Sultana (2002) argue that long commuting distances are generally unsustainable and that they result from location issues in housing due to imbalanced jobs-housing opportunities. According to these authors, the spatial mismatch between the location of jobs and the location of affordable housing further impoverishes the poor. The jobs-housing imbalance is also associated with higher vehicular dependency and more vehicular kilometres which contribute to environmental pollution against the dictates of sustainable development. This study aims to reduce this spatial mismatch in the city of Lagos through inclusionary inner city housing, since most jobs in Lagos are located in and around the Lagos Central CBD. To achieve sustainability in all its ramifications, it is necessary that poor workers live around where they work, in this case the inner city of the CBD. This would promote poverty alleviation, optimise economic opportunities for the poor (Adebayo &
Adebayo 2000), and promote social development and an improved overall quality of life as well as socio-economic equity.
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Sultan (2002) and UN-Habitat (2011) argue that housing provision can only be said to be sustainable if it is inclusive. As is clearly visible in the inner city of central Lagos, exclusionary housing cannot be said to promote a sustainable city. Robert et al. (2014) note that such housing promotes urban sprawl and air pollution resulting from the long commuting distance from home to work as well as the loss of green (open) space, all of which are contrary to the principles of sustainable development. Inclusionary housing creates class mixing which is considered sustainable because of its ability to promote distributional justice and social equity that are considered primary elements of sustainable development. The introduction of inclusionary housing in central Lagos will guaranteed the accessibility of some of the low income earners within the state an access to affordable and decent housing, promote socially inclusive inner city within central Lagos. Table 3.2 summarizes the aspects of sustainable development which inclusionary inner city housing may help to achieve.
Table 3.2: Aspects of Sustainable Development Achievable by Inclusionary Inner City Housing
Social Environmental Cultural Economic
1. The right to adequate housing and the right to access the city centre.
2. Affordable, decent and sustainable houses for all, including
economically and socially
disadvantaged groups.
3. Socially inclusive inner city growth.
1. Support climate change mitigation by reducing the job-home location gap which may reduce levels of carbon
consumption.
1. Cultural integration and cohesion.
1. Inclusive housing market.
2. Improved housing supply and effective demand.
3. Stabilization of housing market.
4. Improved housing support and finance options.
5. Housing affordability for all income groups.
6. Income mix.
Source: UN-Habitat, 2011