Effect of sustainable housing development along major transport routes, in Oba-Adesida Road in Akure, Ondo State, Nigeria

Abstract

This research work aims to examine the effects of transport activities on sustainable housing development along major transport routes to suggest ways to improve the situations, along the Oba-Adesida Road in Akure South. The scope of the study was limited to the safety, environmental, and technical effects that the major Oba-Adesida transport route has on existing housing, south of Akure, Ondo State. The target population i.e. Akure-south which is the local Government of the study area has a land size of about 311 square kilometers, and the 1991 national population census, however, put the population of Akure-south at 250,356 whereas, the 2006 census put the Akure-south population to be about 353,211. This study is survey design in nature, as it uses quantitative data gathering methods. The quantitative method will consist of structured close-ended questionnaires. The secondary data research method was used to review existing documents of related institutions and departments, some national and international records. The internet also served as a good source of data. As regards the primary source of data gathering, structured questionnaires were used to obtain data from residents of existing housing developments along the transport route, to recognize their opinions on how the transport activities and movements have affected and are affecting them and the sustainability in terms longevity and durability of their housing structures. The data collected on the field during the survey was edited and coded using Statistical packages (SPSS v.16) which was the quantitative analysis. Considering the main target of this study, the respondents said the effects they encounter on the existing housing development, from the transport activities are mostly the noise level arising from the moving vehicles. This does not deny the presence of other effects. In conclusion, as a positive effect, we see that the value of these buildings increases, also due to location factor, there increasing revenue for individual owners and indirectly increasing economic revenue for the government/public sector of the region, amongst other benefits. However, one cannot but neglect the negative effects as discovered in the course of this study. Governments should look into the construction of sustainable housing along major transport routes in Nigeria by providing all the logistics for smooth development or take-up.

Keywords: Sustainable, transport, development, housing, major.