Facilitating public participation in urban planning : a case study of Abuja, Nigeria

Abstract

Public participation in planning process has been identified as the oldest form of community dialogue that was commonly used in urban planning at local and regional level. Public participation has been the responsibility of the government and planning agencies to involve the public in decision making process that normally concerns the communities. This study outlined the roles of public in facilitating urban planning in Abuja, Nigeria. The objectives of the study are to examine the current practice of public participation and to analyze the effectiveness of public participation in planning process of Abuja master plan. The study was done in Federal Capital City (FCC) of Nigeria. A questionnaire survey was conducted which involved 18 Non-Governmental Organizations and Community Development Associations (NGOs, CDAs) and 144 respondents from the communities. The samples of respondents were taken from different residential districts in the city. Public participation in Abuja has remained rhetoric due to the top-down model of planning and development process adopted in the country. The findings showed that the involvement of communities in development projects and planning process is not being considered by the planning authorities in the city. And also public project are being carried out by the planning authorities based on their own ideas, without proper consultation or involvement of the communities that such projects or plans are aimed at satisfying their needs. The planning process in Abuja, is very much dictated by the top-down model of planning and development process adopted in the country. The study recommended the stages for public involvement and the policy guidelines for incorporating both individuals and group participation in Abuja urban planning