Strategies to Improve Urban Population's Quality of Life in Lagos (Edexcel GCSE Geography A)

Bottom-up & Top-down Strategies

• When government (local or national) helps to improve an area, this is called a top-down strategy

• They have advantages and disadvantages and aim to improve the quality of life through social, economic and environmental improvements

• Top down strategies are usually large projects which hope to improve incomes for people through developing industry

• A high level of technical support is usually needed with funding from foreign loans and IGOs such as the IMF and World Bank

• Examples in Lagos include:

  • Lagos Light Rail and Lagos Rail Mass Transit 

  • Eko Atlantic: a new area of commerce built on reclaimed land

  • Lagos Home Ownership and Mortgage Scheme (Lagos HOMS)

  • Cleaner Lagos Initiative

Advantages and Disadvantages of Top-down strategies

• Bottom-up strategies are aimed at social development, with smaller community projects that are aimed at improving health, education, or food supplies at a local level

• Examples in Lagos include:

  • Wecyclers - tackling the issue of waste

  • Makoko Sustainable Regeneration Plan

Advantages and Disadvantages of Bottom-up Strategies

Role of Government Policy in Improving Quality of Life in Lagos

• There are a number of ways that challenges in Lagos have been or are being managed:

  • Sustainable urban development:

    • Through improving residents lives now without destroying opportunities or the environment for later generations

  • Top-down action:

    • Intervention by local and national governments and business projects 

  • Bottom-up action:

    • Communities and individual action

  • Help from non-governmental organisations (NGOs):

    • Funding by donations with no formal links to any government (WaterAid, Educate Nigeria etc)

• Environmental issues:

  • These include waste disposal, air and water pollution

  • The authorities encourage residents of Makoko to recycle plastics, metals and paper

    • Some waste from Olusosun dump is diverted to Makoko

    • Residents gather it, compress it, and cover it in sawdust and sand to create new land in the lagoon

    • This helps to reduce waste but also creates new land 

  • Air pollution is being managed through improving the road and rail networks

  • The new light railway will reduce the amount of traffic and congestion, along with air pollution

  • Residents are encouraged to use public transport or car sharing to reduce congestion and air pollution

  • Public information and education have seen a reduction in the amount of raw sewage entering the waterways

  • Stricter pollution controls are enforced, and factories are being fined for polluting the waterways

• Traffic management:

  • Alternative transport options, such as rail, are being created

  • Seven new lines on a new light-rail network are being constructed

  • A Fourth Mainland Bridge, along with improvements on 360 inner roads, is due to begin in 2023

  • Google maps and radio bulletins advise on traffic issues

  • Businesses are encouraged to allow people to work from home or to work flexible hours to avoid “rush hour” traffic

• Employment:

  • Improved education allows for better job prospects

  • Eko Atlantic development aims to provide skilled employment opportunities as a new CBD for the city

  • Investment is not only from the local state government but also private investment

  • Building the development will provide several years of employment opportunities for low-skilled workers from building roads, houses, offices and infrastructure needed to cope with the estimated 150,000 daily commuters and 250,000 residents

  • Grants via the Trust Fund Bill have helped people become self-employed

  • The city has bought 3 helicopters for police to spot crimes such as armed muggings, burglaries and carjacking

Eko Atlantic, Lagos, land reclamation and new city hub

• Education:

  • There have been major improvements in the education system in Lagos

    • Rebuilding decaying schools

    • Building more schools in areas where access to education is limited

    • Initiatives where the government pays for school exams, allowing some students from the squatter settlements to complete their education

  • Another project was the Makoko floating school

    • Designed to be sustainable and adapt to the community's water lifestyle

    • The project was launched in 2016 and won awards for its innovative design; however, 7 months later, it collapsed due to unusually heavy rain

    • However, the school has served as a blueprint for other initiatives to upgrade education in Makoko slum, enhancing the quality of life for the community's children

• Urban planning:

  • The Makoko Regeneration Group gives residents a voice in what happens within their community

  • They have started a regeneration programme where energy, housing and tourism opportunities have been identified

  • The plan also encourages new developments such as energy supplies from biogas, a new hotel, low-income housing, a specialised health facility, a research centre on climate change and water resources, a floating market, guest houses on the lagoon and a water transportation scheme