Urban Growth - Lagos 🇳🇬 Flashcards

1
Q

Where is Lagos located?

A

Nigeria, Africa

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2
Q

What is Nigeria’s GDP?

A

highest in Africa (around $1.082 trillion)

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3
Q

What is the population of Lagos?

A

around 15 million (estimate)

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4
Q

What is Lagos’ annual growth rate?

A

3.2%

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5
Q

Why is Lagos an important city regionally?

A

large migrant population increases cultural diversity
well connected to other towns, good centre for trade

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6
Q

Why is Lagos an important city nationally?

A

home to 80% of Nigeria’s industry and many global companies (e.g. Nestle)
WAS the capital until 1991 (now it’s Abuja)

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7
Q

Why is Lagos an important city internationally?

A

main financial centre for West Africa and 5th largest economy in the continent
international port and airport good for global trade

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8
Q

What factors have caused rapid growth in Lagos?

A
  • colonised by Britain in 1860s making it a centre for trade and merchants
  • ex-slaves returned to Lagos in 1800s increasing the population
  • independence in 1960 —> economic development Nigeria’s resources no longer controlled by Britain
  • government financed construction projects, sea ports and factories —> jobs, rapid urbanisation
  • natural increase and migration
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9
Q

What is Nigeria’s birth and death rate?

A

roughly 35.2 births per 1000 people
death rate of 9.6
this is rapidly increasing the population

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10
Q

How many migrants are estimated to enter Lagos daily?

A

1200
either from neighbouring countries or rural areas in northern Nigeria

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11
Q

Why is there so much rural —> urban migration?

A

ethnic or religious conflict and high levels of poverty elsewhere in Nigeria and Africa

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12
Q

What are the social opportunities in Lagos?

A
  • more healthcare centres, hospitals, more medicines
  • 90% of Nigerian children in urban areas attend primary school compared with 60% in rural areas (Lagos has 20,000 schools)
  • water treatment plants provide safe water piped directly to some areas of the city
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13
Q

What are the economic opportunities in Lagos?

A
  • rapid growth means there are lots of construction jobs
  • Lagos is home to many banks, government departments and factories
  • 2 ports
  • growing fishing industry
  • thriving film and music industry (‘Nollywood’)
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14
Q

What is Lagos’ population density?

A

20,000 people per km^2

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15
Q

What problems has rapid growth led to in Lagos?

A
  • slums and squatter settlements
  • harder access to clean water, sanitation and energy
  • harder access to health and education
  • unemployment and crime
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16
Q

How has rapid growth led to slums and squatter settlements?

A

house construction can’t keep up with number of migrants and population in Lagos
increases house prices and making them too costly for many
as a result, 66% of people in Lagos live in illegal settlements (Slums)

17
Q

What are slums like?

A

flimsy wooden huts
as they are built illegally, residents face eviction if slums are demolished to clean up Lagos

18
Q

How has rapid growth led to harder access to clean water?

A

only about 40% of Lagos is connected to state water supply
water is in such short supply that people pay hugely inflated prices for water from informal sellers (water vendors on streets)

19
Q

How has rapid growth led to less sanitation?

A

up to 15 households can share a toilet, and the waste often goes to local water supplies - leads to health problems
2006 study found that only 1% of homes in Lagos have access to sewers

20
Q

How has rapid growth led to energy deficit?

A

April 2022, all of Nigeria’s electricity shut down twice
80% of people with electricity in Lagos get their supply from generators (highly polluting)
no infrastructure companies providing electricity

21
Q

How has rapid growth led to lack of health?

A

Lagos only has 12 hospitals to provide to a total of 15 million people. 3,707 people share the services of each doctor
many people can’t even afford treatment

22
Q

How has rapid growth led to lack of education?

A

not enough schools for the growing population of Lagos (one school in Makoko slum)
many families can’t afford to send their kids to school

23
Q

How has rapid growth led to increased unemployment ?

A

not enough formal jobs for growing population (people find new ways to make money e.g. scavenging)
~60% of population work in informal jobs without legal protection
unemployment rate at about 25%

24
Q

How has rapid growth led to increased crime?

A

high levels of crime - many slums (Makoko) are patrolled by gangs called ‘area boys’ who commit crimes and police the slums themselves
many people turn to crime when unemployed

25
Q

What are the environmental issues in Lagos?

A

air pollution
managing waste
water pollution
traffic congestion

26
Q

How has air pollution become a problem in Lagos?

A
  • generators being used
  • factories
  • motor vehicles
27
Q

What are the adopted solutions to air pollution in Lagos?

A
  • laws against highly polluting activities
  • incentives to purchase cleaner vehicles
28
Q

How has managing waste become a problem in Lagos?

A
  • lack of sewers
  • rubbish dumped on street
  • no bin collecters
  • waste is constantly growing
29
Q

What are the adopted solutions to managing waste?

A
  • 650 bin lorries purchased
    cost $20 mil, 850 metric tonne capacity
  • paying people to collect rubbish
30
Q

How has water pollution become a problem in Lagos?

A
  • waste being dumped in water
  • lack of sewage systems
  • lack of laws that regulate waste disposal in water
31
Q

What are the adopted solutions to water pollution?

A
  • 2012 Lagos State Water Regulatory Commission was formed and began regulating water supply and water vendors and issuing licenses for boreholes
  • installed closed drains
  • 4 waste water treatment facilities
32
Q

How has traffic congestion become a problem in Lagos?

A
  • lots of vehicles
  • roads aren’t big enough
  • average commute is 4 hours
  • most vehicles are 15+ years old (air pollution)
  • more people can afford vehicles = more on road
33
Q

What are the adopted solutions for traffic congestion?

A
  • 2003, Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority set up to improve transport
  • bus lane created (200,000 people use it daily, reduces travel time)
  • Railway system created
34
Q

What were the social benefits of the 2013 Makoko Floating School prototype?

A
  • 100 students got free education (didn’t need to work or scavenge pay)
  • school was built by unskilled people - skills they learn helped them repair their own homes
  • school also used for community meetings and activites
35
Q

What were the economic benefits of the 2013 Makoko Floating School prototype?

A
  • improved children’s job prospects
  • provided jobs for local teachers
  • school’s success encouraged government to launch its ‘Makoko Regeneration Plan’ - develop slum further
36
Q

What were the environmental benefits of the 2013 Makoko Floating School prototype?

A
  • built using locally sourced materials (250 barrels)
  • school’s buoyancy meant it could adjust to different water levels
  • ran on solar power - sustainable
  • collected rainwater to meet its water needs - didn’t use resources community relied on
37
Q

What happened to the floating school in 2016?

A

collapsed in a storm
but a new one was planned and rebuilt