HOUSING: CENTRAL CITY SLUMS, A CASE STUDY OF IBADAN

Ibadan is among the first one hundred largest cities in the world which translates into pressures on land and thus high urban dynamics. This study is an effort to identify and highlight the housing and central city slum trend in Ibadan, a city in the South West Region of Nigeria. Its goal is to examine the process of change of Ibadan from a well-known historical war camp of the Yoruba people to its present state and its capacity to become a slum city. The Objectives are to examine the growth and development of Ibadan city; examine the process of housing changes; Identify the socio economic aspect of the change process; Provide explanation to structural and lateral changes in the city; and evaluate various planning initiatives. This paper addressed the adverse effects of the unprecedented population growth and consequent increase in urbanization of Ibadan on the inhabitants. The poor socio-economic state of the nation as well as its various housing implications was examined. The paper concludes that the government effort to stop slum development will be to no avail unless they accept that slums have become inevitable phenomenon in urban areas which has no quick fix solution. However, it could be nipped in the bud using the following recommended approaches: slum upgrade option, sites-and-services scheme and embracing raw earth building technology. Key Word: Housing, City, Slums, Urbanizatio