Essential Service Delivery as Urban Renewal Strategy in Jos, Plateau State: Findings from a cross-sectional and Ethnographic Study

Abstract

Jos the Plateau State capital has experienced rapid 'urbanization' from migration and population explosion as fallouts of the conict situations in Nigeria's North-East and North-West regions, rural-urban migration, and counter-urbanization. These factors have exposed the city to dire urban and environmental conditions that challenge the functionality of the available essential social service facilities. Numerous politico-economic, social, psychological, and population health risks have arisen from the lapses occasioned by the non-expansion of facilities; the lack of enforcement of existing regulations; and the potential hazards from the dearth of effective regulations to cover the administration and utilization of social services. They trigger outcomes with consequences for physical and mental health, and social stability. The paper adopted a mixed-methods design that combined a cross sectional study with an ethnographic perspective in undertaking the assessment of the evolution of Jos, and determining the prospects of urban renewal for the reinvention of the city. The smart city theory further provided the framework for establishing the imperative and context of urban renewal, including for public health and environmental sustainability. The ndings revealed gaps in the security, emergency services, transport, health, and other infrastructure of city management, thereby invariably impacting the day-to-day life of the Jos residents. The conclusions drawn include that in addition to the structural interventions on which the government may be hinging its proposed urban renewal strategies for Jos, essential service delivery should primarily be addressed as central to the policy interventions. This two-pronged approach offers a more holistic measure for achieving the goal of improved quality of life for the residents