Climate Change: At Lagos summit, ACRC researcher recommends flood-resistant infrastructure

The African Cities Research Consortium (ACRC) has reiterated the need for inclusive regional integration and resilient infrastructure to combat climate change and overstretched facilities in Lagos.

ACRC is a UK Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office (FCDO) programme led by the University of Manchester in 12 African cities and implemented in Lagos by the Centre for Housing and Sustainable Development at the University of Lagos (UNILAG).

The Lagos City Manager of the programme, Temilade Sesan, made the recommendation recently while participating as a panelist at the Lagos Physical Planning Summit organised by the Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development.

Mrs Sesan, who teaches and supervises postgraduate students at the Centre for Petroleum, Energy Economics and Law of the University of Ibadan, participated in two different panel sessions at the two-day summit. She stressed that incorporating flood-resistant design into infrastructure development is crucial for protecting the city’s residents, economy, and environment.

The summit was themed: “Rethinking Lagos: A New Vision for Regional and Integrated Medacity.”

The researcher cited the effectiveness of traditional flood-resistant building techniques employed in Lagos’ waterfront communities.

She said: “Rather than discard innovative systems that have served the needs of particular communities for decades, city planners should learn from them. An example that comes to mind here is the largely flood-resistant building technique used in many waterfront communities across the city.

“Given that these humble structures weather torrential rains so much better than many brick-and-mortar buildings around them, it is worth integrating the know-how they offer into modern construction projects.”

Mrs Sesan added that small-scale infrastructure projects are also likely to be affordable and accessible for a greater proportion of residents than with larger projects.

Informal settlements

During the panel session on the subtheme: “Lagos 2050: A Megacity in Transition,” Mrs Sesan suggested that an effective regional integration in Lagos must consider “people across the wide range of cultures and classes who call the city home.”

She urged the Lagos government to prioritise vulnerable residents in informal settlements, recognising their significant economic and cultural contributions.

“The state government needs to be responsive to the vulnerability of residents in informal settlements, many of whom have been historically marginalised in planning policy despite the significant contributions they make to the economy and culture of the city,” she said.

“This requires recognising that every community, regardless of its origins, is an integral part of the city’s rich cultural heritage, and incentivising the exchange of people, goods and ideas across state and national borders.”

As Lagos City Manager, Mrs Sesan provides strategic direction to a team of expert academics and practitioners working to generate robust evidence for inclusive urban policies in a range of domains, including safety and security, housing, climate resilience and economic development.

She has published extensively on pathways to co-creating urban development solutions with marginalised groups in reputable academic journals.

Lagos summit

The Lagos Physical Planning Summit is a programme of the Office of Physical Planning, Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development.

In his remarks, the Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Oluyinka Olumide, said the summit aims to tackle pressing issues in Lagos, including implementation, investment, sustainability, and physical planning service delivery.

Mr Olumide noted that despite Lagos’ remarkable growth as Nigeria’s commercial hub, the city faces unique challenges that “we must address.”

“Lagos, with a population of over 22 million on an area of 3,577 square kilometres. about 20 per cent of which is water, is acclaimed to have the highest rate of urbanisation in Africa. The city is confronted with urban decay and the threat of impacts of climate change among others,” he said.

The former governor of the state, Babatunde Fashola, was the keynote speaker, who addressed critical issues of planning and bureaucracies surrounding the issuance of permits for investors and business owners.

The incumbent governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, declared his commitment to unpack the bottlenecks, even as he appreciated his predecessor for highlighting some of the issues that must be urgently tackled to address the rising cases of environmental challenges such as building collapse, fire disasters, among others.