The Nigerian Institute of Town Planners
The Nigerian Institute of Town Planners (NITP) has called for stronger collaboration among governments, communities and built-environment professionals to address Nigeria’s housing crisis, deteriorating urban infrastructure and growing pressure on cities.
The institute’s National President, Prof. Kingsley Ogboi, made the call in a message marking the 2026 World Town Planning Day, themed “Great Communities Are Built on Planning: Together We Deliver, Together We Thrive, Together We Sustain.”
/ You Might Also Like /
Ogboi said sustainable and liveable communities require effective urban planning, inclusive development policies and coordinated action among stakeholders. He emphasised that town planners must play a more active role in shaping urban development through sound policies, development plans and effective development control.
His remarks highlight a persistent weakness in Nigeria’s urban development: the gap between housing construction, infrastructure provision and the long-term planning needed to make communities functional and sustainable.
Housing delivery requires integrated urban planning
The NITP president linked the 2026 World Town Planning Day theme to the broader challenge of providing adequate housing and improving urban living conditions.
He also drew attention to the 2026 World Cities Day theme, “Regenerating the City: Adequate Housing for All”, which highlights the need to address housing shortages, ageing infrastructure, underutilised urban land and social inequalities.
The institute argued that expanding housing supply alone cannot resolve Nigeria’s housing challenges if new developments lack adequate roads, drainage, public spaces, transportation and essential services.
Urban regeneration, therefore, needs to combine housing delivery with improvements to existing neighbourhoods and infrastructure. It must also involve affected communities and include safeguards against displacement, ensuring that existing residents benefit from redevelopment rather than being pushed out by rising costs.
For developers and investors, this approach reinforces the importance of assessing housing projects within their wider urban context. Locations with reliable infrastructure, access to services and effective planning frameworks are better positioned to support sustainable property development.
NITP urges governments to strengthen development control
Ogboi said town planners have a critical responsibility to guide how cities and communities grow, including the preparation and implementation of development plans.
Effective planning determines where residential, commercial and industrial activities should take place, how infrastructure should connect different neighbourhoods and how environmental risks should influence development decisions.
The institute maintained that planners must help governments translate urban development objectives into practical policies and enforceable planning instruments.
This requires stronger collaboration between public authorities, professional bodies, developers and communities. It also requires governments to support planning institutions with the capacity and authority to enforce approved development standards.
Weak development control can encourage unauthorised construction, incompatible land uses and encroachment on public spaces. These problems can increase infrastructure costs, worsen congestion and expose communities to flooding and other environmental hazards.
Urban regeneration must address infrastructure and inequality
The NITP also stressed that urban regeneration should extend beyond physical redevelopment to address the social and environmental conditions that affect residents.
The institute's position reflects the interconnected nature of housing, infrastructure and urban inequality. Poorly planned neighbourhoods often face inadequate drainage, limited access to public services and insufficient open spaces, while new developments can intensify pressure on existing infrastructure when authorities fail to coordinate growth.
A more inclusive approach would require governments to identify areas for regeneration, improve essential services and involve residents in decisions affecting their communities.
For the property market, such interventions could create opportunities for redevelopment and improve the long-term attractiveness of urban locations. However, the benefits will depend on transparent implementation and measures that protect existing residents and businesses.
Planning must become central to Nigeria’s urban development strategy
The institute urged Nigerian town planners to use the annual observance to demonstrate the value of their profession and promote healthier, more resilient and economically productive communities.
It also connected effective planning to Sustainable Development Goal 11, which seeks to make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable.
For Nigeria, achieving this objective will require more than preparing master plans and announcing urban development initiatives. Governments must ensure that approved plans guide public investment, housing development, land-use decisions and infrastructure provision.
The NITP's intervention reinforces a central issue for Nigeria's housing market: the quality of housing delivery depends not only on the number of homes constructed but also on whether the surrounding communities have the infrastructure, services and planning framework needed to support them.
Without that coordination, new housing developments risk reproducing the same urban challenges that existing communities face.
READ MORE
