If past traditions were building blocksA perspective on low income housing development in Nigerian cities

The global millenial challenge of providing shelter for all by the year 2000 calls for a reevaluation of existing strategies for housing production and the charting of new courses. This paper examines one approach in which the wealth of meaning, knowledge, skill and experience in traditional Nigerian residential architecture may be useful in addressing contemporary urban low-income housing problems. It is found that, with slight modifications to existing development control standards, the traditional compound house (built on the courtyard principle) offers a solution with some potential to improve the quality of urban low income housing while, at the same time, alleviating some of the bottlenecks inhibiting the supply of such housing at present. It is suggested, therefore, that this house form could be a veritable resource for policy makers in the quest for an enhanced quality and quantity of low income housing in Nigerian cities.