Like never before, the obvious climate change effects – excessive flooding and the environmental challenge from failed refuse disposal systems, overcrowding and development of unplanned neighbourhoods show Nigeria may be in dire need of green cities.
While the impact of rapid urbanization in several cities in Africa’s most populous country is having an effect on its environment, the essentially regarded green city concept has not been backed by policy response either at national or state levels to implement the green city agenda.
Also, the ‘green city’ concept has not entirely diffused into the Nigerian real estate sector.
This, according to analysts has resulted in economic damages for Nigeria, a country that has been struggling in the last five years to grow its economy at a pace higher than its population growth rate. Loss of lives resulting from the polluted environment is another damage suffered by the West African country.
Many parts of Nigeria are endangered by flooding due to inadequate drainage systems. Air and water pollution are at their worst because several industries and factories do not integrate safer eco-friendly waste disposal methods. Oil spillage, gas flaring, and deforestation also contribute to this problem.
A recent World Bank study, the Cost of Air Pollution in Lagos, estimates that illness and premature deaths due to air pollution caused losses of $2.1 billion in 2018. In the same year, it caused an estimated 11,200 premature deaths, the highest in West Africa. Children under five were the most affected, accounting for 60 percent of total deaths while adults suffered from heart disease, lung cancer, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
The general waste management system for residents is not adequate. There are barely enough roads for all, and traffic congestion can be a nuisance. Noise pollution and stress are high up on the list of environmental disasters. As a resident, you may have experienced, next to low air and water quality standards, and all these accompany mortifying consequences.
Another major challenge is poverty. According to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) report on ‘2019 Poverty and Inequality in Nigeria’, about 40 percent of the total population, or almost 83 million people, live below the country’s poverty line of N137,430 ($381.75) per year. As expected, a significant number of these are city dwellers who are more concerned about their daily bread than adopting the green city concept.
Championing the Green City Concept adoption in Nigeria is Eko Atlantic City. The city’s developers and planners are creating an environmentally friendly city and infrastructure for the 21st century. Alpha1, the first office tower in Eko Atlantic City, secured an EDGE certification from the International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group, in 2019. ‘EDGE’, which stands for ‘Excellence in Design for Greater Efficiencies’, demonstrates Eko Atlantic’s commitment to becoming the first green city in Lagos State.
EDGE recommendations cut down building energy and water consumption by at least 20 percent while lowering greenhouse-gas emissions.
Some of the Eko Atlantic City’s green concept standards include roundabouts for the roads rather than 4-way intersection to ensure a more efficient traffic flow. Roads within the city are built with paving block stones that do not absorb heat from the sun and reduce the city’s overall core temperature.
Mirroring other green cities in the world such as Vienna and Stockholm, street-lights in Eko Atlantic City all have energy-efficient LED lighting drastically reducing the city’s energy needs to light the roads. The water drainage system has also been built under the high elevated roads to the natural flow of water to the internal canal system.
Like Eko Atlantic is doing in Nigeria, countries worldwide have adopted many long-term practices to deal with climate change, minimize the damage done to the environment, and create more favourable living conditions.
Perhaps, the most impactful of these sustainable practices is the Green City Concept. This concept is a more recent response to the challenge of creating denser, greener, and more livable cities. Green cities involve the implementation of recycling and energy renewal programs. They require real estate developers to proactively plan a city’s arterial features and infrastructure to reduce waste, heat output, and pollution significantly.
Vienna is the greenest city in the world for many reasons, according to Resonance’s World’s Greenest Cities List for 2020. The city generates 30% of its energy from renewable sources, while half of its population commutes to work through an accessible public transport system. It also has numerous recycling initiatives and public spaces covered with grass, trees, flowers, and benches for people to relax.
Stockholm is another example. It once was the world’s greenest city because of its investment in sustainable infrastructure, low carbon emissions, good air quality, and an efficient waste management system.
Transitioning to a green economy will be beneficial to Nigeria. However, there is a lot of work to do, as gathered from a poll of industry players.
According to property analysts, green cities such as Eko Atlantic City will improve environmental conditions. “This has a direct influence on public health. There will be minimal environmental pollution as there will be better drainage, efficient waste disposal systems, and cooler weather,” a Lagos-based research analyst said.
The transition, according to industry experts, will also create jobs and aid social integration by providing green spaces like gardens and neighbourhood parks where people can take walks, chat, play outdoor games, and network.
