Assessment of Residents' Perception of the Environmental and Infrastructural Impacts of Urban Sprawl in Abeokuta South, Nigeria

Abstract

Urban sprawl has become one of the defining spatial features of rapidly growing cities across sub-Saharan Africa, and Abeokuta, the capital of Ogun State, Nigeria, is no exception. While a considerable body of remote-sensing and land-use/land-cover research has documented the physical extent of Abeokuta’s outward expansion, comparatively little empirical attention has been paid to how the residents who live with the consequences of this expansion actually perceive its environmental and infrastructural implications. This study addresses that gap by examining residents’ awareness of urban sprawl, their perception of its environmental and infrastructural effects, the factors that shape this perception, the challenges they experience as a result of sprawl, and the solutions they propose, using Abeokuta South as a case study. A descriptive survey design was adopted, and a structured questionnaire was administered to 100 respondents drawn through multi-stage stratified and purposive sampling from ten communities experiencing rapid sprawl: Asero, Obantoko, Olomore, Ake, Ibara, Ijemo, Ijaiye, Kuto, Itoku, and Oke- Mosan. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics (frequencies and percentages) and the Chi-square test of independence. Findings show a high level of awareness of urban sprawl among residents (97%), with strong agreement that sprawl has caused environmental degradation (95%), pollution (92%), and loss of green and open spaces (94%), and has placed considerable pressure on infrastructure, particularly electricity supply (96%), roads (91%), waste disposal (89%), and drainage (89%). Government policy, land availability, and population growth were identified as the leading determinants of residents’ perception, while education and income were not. The Chi-square test revealed a statistically significant relationship between the length of residents’ stay in the area and their awareness of urban sprawl (χ² = 14.274, df = 6, p = 0.027), leading to rejection of the null hypothesis. The study concludes that residents of Abeokuta South are highly conscious of the environmental and infrastructural costs of unplanned urban expansion and recommends stronger planning and development control, infrastructure upgrading, environmental law enforcement, improved waste management, and sustained public awareness campaigns.

Keywords:   urban sprawl, residents’ perception, environmental degradation, urban infrastructure, sustainable urban development, Abeokuta South