URBAN PLANNING AND APPLICABLE ENVIRONMENTAL LAWS: CHALLENGES AND PROSPECTS

Abstract

Urbanization is continuing at a very fast pace with expectations that by 2050, most of the world population would be resident in urban centres. This rural-urban drift has severe implications for development and attendant policymaking in Nigeria. The upsurge in the drift to urban centres necessitates the rationale for designing and planning new urban centres and suburbs in Nigeria. The advent of sustainable development goals and the need to safeguard the environment has thrown up possibilities for urban planning in tandem with environmental laws in the planning process in Nigeria. Research undertaken reveals that the environment is heavily impacted on by the daily activities of the population. Virtually on a daily basis, choices are made between safeguarding the environment and harnessing the benefits of urban planning. Our position is that extant town planning policies and regulations in Nigeria has not adequately taken requisite environmental laws into urban planning process. There should be a paradigm shift to this.