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Abstract

GEOSPATIAL ANALYSIS OF LAND USE / LAND COVER CHANGES IN ILESHA, OSUN STATE, NIGERIA

Journal: Sustainable Cities and Built Environment (JSCBE)

Author: Adedeji Adeyemi Adewumi¹*, Olatunji Solomon Ayodeji ¹, Amogbonjaye Gideon Oluwaseun²

¹   Federal University Oye-Ekiti, Nigeria.² Wesley University Ondo, Ondo State, Nigeria

*Correspondence: email: adeyemi.adedeji@fuoye.edu.ng, ORCID ID: ^1* https://orcid.org/0009-0002-6272-4242 

This is an open-access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License CC BY 4.0, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.58757/jscbe.04.02.05

This study investigates spatio-temporal dynamics of land use and land cover (LULC) in Ilesa, Osun State, Nigeria, over a 31-year period (1993-2024), using remote sensing and Geographic Information System (GIS) techniques. Landsat imagery for 1993 (TM), 2003 (ETM+), and 2024 (OLI) was acquired from USGS Earth Explorer and subjected to supervised classification using the Maximum Likelihood Algorithm. Four LULC categories were delineated: built-up area, vegetation, cultivated land, and water body. Accuracy assessment was performed using confusion matrices, Overall Accuracy (OA) and Kappa Coefficient (K). Overall Accuracy and Kappa Coefficient values: 1993 OA = 93.0%, K = 0.907; 2003 OA = 89.5%, K = 0.860; 2024 OA = 90.5%, K = 0.873. Built-up area expanded from 13.09 km2 (9.80%) in 1993 to 65.06 km2 (48.67%) in 2024, a net increase of 396.9%, while vegetation declined from 112.14 km2 (83.89%) to 55.30 km2 (41.37%), a cumulative loss of 50.7%. Cultivated land expanded massively between 1993 and 2003 but contracted sharply thereafter as urban encroachment intensified, while water bodies remained largely stable. The study ties results to sustainability frameworks, recognizing biodiversity risk, urban heat island effect, reduced ecosystem services, and stressed infrastructure, and suggests that geospatial monitoring be incorporated into urban planning

Abstract

HOUSING CRISES DYNAMICS AND RESIDENTIAL ASPIRATIONS ACROSS GENERATIONS AND TERRITORIAL CONTEXTS: THE CASE OF REUNION ISLAND

Journal: Sustainable Cities and Built Environment (JSCBE)

Author: Pauline Lallemand ^1*, Bruno Malet-Damour¹, and Fiona Benard¹  

1 Physics and Mathematical Engineering Laboratory for Energy, Environment and Building (PIMENT), France

*Correspondence: email: pauline.lallemand@univ-reunion.fr, ORCID ID: ^1* https://orcid.org/0009-0003-8445-8691

This is an open-access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License CC BY 4.0, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.58757/jscbe.04.02.04

Housing crises are often discussed in terms of shortages, rising prices, and affordability. Yet they also reveal another, less visible reality: the growing distance between the homes people dream of and the homes they can actually access. This paper explores this tension in Réunion Island, a French overseas territory where housing shortages, social inequalities, and increasing land pressures make access to adequate housing increasingly difficult. Drawing on the concept of the aspirations gap, the study combines a quantitative analysis of housing conditions across the island with a qualitative exploration of residents’ housing aspirations. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and Hierarchical Clustering identify five contrasting socio-residential profiles, while a thematic analysis of 140 semi-structured interviews examines how the ideal kaz (home) is imagined across four generations. The results reveal a highly unequal housing landscape, shaped by differences in income, housing quality, and access to land. They also show that the meaning of the ideal kaz changes across generations. Older residents often express attachment to traditional forms of housing rooted in outdoor living and proximity to nature, while younger generations increasingly aspire to larger and more modern homes shaped by globalised lifestyles and digital imaginaries. Despite these differences, access to individual housing and outdoor space remains a shared aspiration across all age groups. Taken together, the findings suggest that housing inequalities are not only experienced through material living conditions but also through unequal opportunities to achieve desired residential futures. By bringing together territorial inequalities and residents’ lived experiences, this study highlights the importance of considering housing aspirations in the design of housing policies. In island territories such as Réunion, understanding what people expect from housing appears essential for developing solutions that are not only affordable and sustainable but also socially acceptable.

Abstract

CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF COMPRESSED EARTH BLOCK TECHNOLOGY ADOPTION IN BAUCHI STATE OF NIGERIA

Journal: Sustainable Cities and Built Environment (JSCBE)

Author: Clement Ilemona Eqwuda ^1*, Abdulrahim Anabe Isah¹, Abdulmutalib Adavuruku Salihu², Mahmood Sadiq^1, and Odaudu Ugbede Sunday³  

1 Department of Building, Confluence University of Science and Technology, Osara, Nigeria; email: egwudaclement@gmail.com

2 Department of Building, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria; email: ibnsaliha@gmail.com

3 Department of Architecture, Dennis Osadebay University, Asaba, Nigeria; email: arcodauduugbede@yahoo.com

*Correspondence: email: egwudaclement@gmail.com, Tel.: +2348067843945 ORCID ID: ^1* https://orcid.org/0009-0007-5437-236X

This is an open-access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License CC BY 4.0, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.58757/jscbe.04.02.03

The construction sector worldwide must implement sustainable material solutions because its current operations create substantial environmental damage. The use of Compressed Earth Blocks (CEB) provides construction professionals with an environmentally friendly option that replaces traditional concrete blocks through its benefits of decreased energy needs, lower expenses, and the use of regional resources. Nigeria experiences a critical need for housing, yet its current adoption rate of CEB technology remains low. The research analyses the various factors which affect CEB technology implementation in Bauchi State, Nigeria, through its assessment of critical elements. The researchers adopted a quantitative approach using a survey distributed to 416 households in Bauchi Metropolis. The data were analysed using descriptive (Mean, percentage and RII) and inferential (multiple regression analysis) statistics. The results showed that people know about CEB benefits, which include creating job opportunities (Mean = 4.55) and reducing importation (Mean = 4.49).Furthermore, the findings showed low adoption of CEB technology, as evidence suggests that most respondents don’t live in houses made of CEB (Mean = 1.64). The main obstacle to CEB technology adoption is untrained workers, leading to substandard products (RII = 0.90). The regression analysis shows that awareness positively influences acceptability (β = 0.372, p < 0.001), while challenges create a strong negative impact (β = -0.588, p < 0.001). The study concludes that residents are aware of CEB socio-economic benefits but are lacking in its technical and performance-related benefits. Also, technical obstacles, together with socio-cultural issues and institutional challenges, create major obstacles which impede the transition from awareness to adoption. The solution requires developing a robust framework to establish CEB as an attractive, modern sustainable building material.

Abstract

Application of Earned Value Analysis in appraising rural development projects in Ebonyi State of Nigeria

Journal: Sustainable Cities and Built Environment (JSCBE)

Author: Adeyemi Adedapo Adewale ^1* and Odaudu Ugbede Sunday ²

1 Institute of the Built Environment, School of Postgraduate Studies, Nasarawa State University, Keffi, Nigeria; email: moddap@gmail.com

2 Department of Architecture, Faculty of Environmental Sciences, Dennis Osadebay University, Asaba, Nigeria; email  arcodauduugbede@yahoo.com

*Correspondence: email moddap@gmail.com ORCID ID: 0009-0005-8858-4876

This is an open-access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License CC BY 4.0, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.58757/jscbe.04.02.02

Long-lasting overruns in costs and timeframes in Nigeria undermine the resilience of infrastructure developments in rural sub-Saharan Africa and it is a threat to the sustainability of built environment assets along the urban-rural range. This paper uses Earned Value Analysis (EVA) to estimate the performance of nine rural development projects in Ebonyi State, Nigeria, quantitatively by determining and ranking governance and management drivers of project success to inform sustainable built environment policy and assist in informing the new discourse on institutional capacity of infrastructure delivery in developing contexts. A sequential explanatory mixed methodology was used. A high level of variation was experienced between road works (mean CPI=0.68) and water schemes (mean CPI=0.78). Infrastructure sustainability in rural Nigeria is pegged on governance and specifically the local authority level. The dysfunctional aspect of the paradoxical negative outcome of monitoring is a sign of systemic malfunction that is bursting of corruption, technical tools deficit and the adoption of ineffective oversight policies. The paper recommended improvement in policy and practice through empowerment of local government in institutions, re-engineering monitoring and evaluation among others