Towards sustainable urban form: A comparative analysis of two urban neighbourhoods in Kano, Nigeria

Abstract

This paper presents an initial investigation into the idea of sustainable urban form through a study of urban neighbourhoods in Northern Nigeria. Two neighbourhoods, Birni and Nassarawa, in the city of Kano, were selected, primarily based on their physical and functional characteristics, and historical significance. For the last three decades, the government has made an effort to accommodate the rapid population and urban growth on a sustainable basis through the instruments of sub-division; infill development; and normalization. These criteria reflect those of many established theories, which propagate that two important aspects that have a profound influence on sustainable urban form are density and mixed-use. The study, therefore, seeks to determine the appropriateness of these policy instruments in promoting sustainability in developing countries. The aforementioned traditional neighbourhoods have been developed with different sets of priorities and yet still share certain viable and vital characteristics that are fundamental to a sustainable built environment. While Birni, which originated from the year 999 AD, promotes a sense of community through its scale; mixed-use; and pedestrian-oriented environment, Nassarawa established in 1904, has quality grid street networks, better connectivity with segregated use and recreational open spaces, but less pedestrian-oriented. The finding indicates that the inherent quality of the indigenous form more than the policy instruments has profound influence on urban form sustainability. This calls for further research into the efficacy of indigenous urban form in promoting urban sustainability.