Revitalizing Neighbourhoods Through Household Enterprises: A Replanning Strategy for Nigerian Cities

Abstract

The relationship between the home environment and economic activities has not been fully appreciated in housing studies despite the UN-Habitat and the draft National Housing Policy (2012) of Nigeria that encourage operations of enterprises especially in low income housing development. It is against this backdrop that this research established the significance of enterprises in households and neighbourhoods in formal housing. Adopting a case study approach in Lokoja urban area in Nigeria, this study is aimed at creating productive households with capacity to revitalize neighbourhoods without compromising planning standards. Efforts were made to measure the extent of the relationship between enterprise location and satisfaction derivatives of operators, the implications of current household entrepreneurial practices on neighbourhoods and applying suitable best planning approaches that can accommodate enterprise in neighbourhoods. Entrepreneurs’ life satisfaction variables and workplace measurements were carried out to determine the level of satisfaction and compliance to extant physical planning standards respectively. A structural equation modelling of the life satisfaction variables shows satisfactory goodness of fit among accepted determinants of the model. however, a descriptive analysis of the qualitative study on the location of enterprises revealed that 49.6% operators are found in locations that contravene planning regulations. Neighbourhoods’ rehabilitation strategies to accommodate alternative workplace locations close to the homes were recommended.