URBAN RNEWAL PROCESS

INTRODUCTION

Town planning authorities are important tools for the execution of urban renewal scheme. Their important role is to regulate and control the orderly use of land within their jurisdiction. Nigeria Town and Country Planning laws empower town planning authorities to make planning scheme to control development. Planning scheme for development is an action of controlling the development and the use of land so as to secure proper sanitary control, amenity provision, reservation of buildings or objects of architectural, historical and natural interest- generally to protect existing amenities in urban- areas covered by Town and Country Planning Laws. Thus urban renewal is a redevelopment scheme for controlling physical growth.

OBJECTIVES

The objectives of this unit are:

1. Examine the urban renewal process
2. Consider the execution process of redevelopment scheme 
3. Identify the problems associated with relocation in urban renewal scheme 

The urban renewal process

Urban redevelopment scheme include residential redevelopment scheme, industrial redevelopment scheme and commercial redevelopment scheme. A scheme may be prepared for any one of them when there is need to improve or solve a specific urban problem of urban decay. It should be noted that before a scheme could be framed, the authority might enter, examine and survey the area for approval or rejection purpose.

After the scheme is framed and countersigned by the appropriate officer of the authority, it will be published in government gazette and placed on a notice board where everybody could read, see it, and make suggestion and objection. The authority will then inform the inhabitants whose properties were affected by the scheme for their reaction within one month after the publication. Under the Town Planning Laws of 1946 the people whose properties were affected can lodge objection within six weeks of its publication to the authority.

Section 16 sub-sections 2 and 3 of Urban and Regional Planning Decree 88 of 1992 respectively empower the town planning authority or commissions to exhibit the plan for any development for a period of two months for physical development plan and 28 days for improvement, rehabilitation, renewal or upgrading. After the disposal of all complaints and objections, the authority thereafter will submit the scheme to the governor. The scheme submitted by the authority will contain the schedule showing: the number of the persons that will be displaced, the names of persons who had objections to the scheme, the manner in which the objections were treated, the reasons for modifications (if any) to the scheme, and suggestion as to the alternative accommodation for those who were to be displaced by the scheme.

A master plan is usually prepared in form of drawing and write-up for the execution of the scheme. The scheme submitted to the governor may be approved or rejected within six months of submission. If it is approved, it shall then become operative immediately.

SELF ASSESSMENT EXERCISE 1

• Enunciate the urban renewal process 

Execution of redevelopment scheme

It is the duty of the authority to execute planning scheme on the affected area. The authority may enter into contract with the owner of land or building in the planning area to serve notice, prohibiting use of any building or land, which is not in conformity with the provision of the scheme. The land in the planning area may be acquired compulsorily or by 

agreement regardless of the period when such land will be required for the planning.

For example the land for redevelopment of Lagos Central was acquired by Lagos Executive Development Board (LEDB) under the following agreements with the old owners:

1. All the properties in the area were to be acquired by LEDB, re-planned with roads, open spaces and new plots layout, after which the new plots were to be resold for redevelopment.
2. All pieces of land acquired after re-planning were to be reconvened to the original owners at 120% of the LEDB acquisition cost and where this was not possible, an equivalent area was to be offered owners as near as possible to the land they originally held. 
3. Where an original holding could not reconvened to the former owner, he was to be given priority claim to any land within the cleared area, which was not taken up by the original owner; and if this was not available, he was to receive priority consideration to any other freeholds land LEDB might have developed 
4. Surulere re-housing scheme was built for displaced people by LEDB. 
5. Abiodun (1985) noted that because of problems associated with the reallocation of redeveloped land in central Lagos to the original owners, many displaced families were unable to re-possess their land as stipulated by the scheme. Surulere temporary housing scheme became permanent. Among the problems which frustrated the scheme as originally envisaged was high cost of implementation resulting from inflation and the reduction in the size of the area available for residential zone, after access roads and commercial zone had been delineated. Another problem is that a substantial number of plots in the area covered by the scheme went to wrong hands particularly non-indigenes. While some of the displaced families were not properly resettled as Surulere resettlement scheme could not accommodate all of them. 

SELF ASSESSMENT EXERCISE 2

1. With the aid of example explain execution of redevelopment scheme. 

Problems associated with relocation in urban renewal scheme

Majority of urban renewal strategies involve displacement of inhabitants. The most complicated problem that normally confronts the inhabitants and the authority concerned is the process of resettlement of displaced people. Some of the fundamental problems resulted from slums clearance may be categorized under the following headings:

1. Social-economic problem: slum clearance activities especially when comprehensive urban renewal is carried out usually have a serious effect on the means of livelihood and economic activities of the area and the entire community. The concerned people usually face the problem of uncertainty, occupational charges, unemployment problem, local inflation and reduction in income level. The promised compensation may not be paid at the right time, thereby leaving the people to solving their economic problem. The problem might result in alienation of the community from their own land. In Nigeria, many communities have been displaced without adequate compensation. For instance, since 1990 when Maroko slums clearance commenced, until 2005 some displaced residents were yet to get out of the socio-economic shock resulting from the government inability to pay them compensation or to relocate them. 
2. Socio-cultural problem: slum clearance usually resulted in loss of many things, which include loss of social groups and cultural heritage. Community and families are fragmented because of displacement and face with innovative and social integration challenges. The inhabitants’ cultural heritage that could be used for tourism may be destroyed eventually leading to socio-cultural problem. The families, which had been communally held together in their former settlement for many generations may become scattered. 
3. Socio-political problems: the displaced people are very new in their new environment. Their inherited traditional community has been demolished; their traditional political status has become history, and they need to readjust into a new political environment with a new political order. There is possibility of poor integration into the new environment. 

SELF ASSESSMENT EXERCISE 3

• Mention some of the problems of slum clearance