THB PROCESS OF PERI - URBAN LANDUSE CONVERSION AT OFFA TOWN, KWARA STATE, NIGERIA

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Date
2014-03-13
Authors
ABDULLAHI, MUHAMMAD JIBREEL
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Abstract
This study was carried out to examine the process of land use conversion taking place at the rural-urban fringe of Offa from 1966 to 1986. It also examines the resultant effect of land use changes and the extent to which the proportion of public utilities located in the urban centre and the fringe area respectively have changed over time. Data obtained from samples of farming households, non farming households, ground survey and industries were analysed in order to determine the problems of farming in fringe areas, residential development, industrial characteritic stics and the spacial distribution of public utilities. Prom the data analysis, the following characteristics show stastitically significant differences between urban centre and the rural urban fringe, and also between the uses of plots of land converted in the fringe areas. (a) Residential land issue as compared to other land use types in the process of peri-urban landuse conversion. Residential use is the greatest use to which land in the fringe area of Offa is converted. (b) The volume of open space, internal reconstruction and infiling construction activities vary with distance from the urban centre, in terms of number of types of construction activities recorded in the urban centre and the rural-urban fringe. Internal reconstruction varies inversely with distance, while open space and infilling construction activities vary directly within the limit of certain distances from the urban centre. (c) The volume of construction activities a varies with distance and direction from the urban centre, with regards to the number of construction activities recorded along the different directions with distance from the urban centre (d) The spatial distribution of public utility and services recorded in the urban centre and the fringe areas. Most public utilities and services are located in the fringe areas. Prom the above findings, it can be concluded that residential expansion is rapid in the process of landuse conversion in the fringe areas of Offa- The volume of construction activities vary with distance from the urban centre. While the lack of a definite trend in. the relationship between volume of construction activities and distance from the urban centre along Eriale-Offa-Ajasse route could be attributed to the problem of land ownership and boundary conflicts experienced between Offa - Ijagbo and Erinle, public utilities and educational institutional are mostly located in the ruralurban fringe of the town. Transportation routes have dominant influence on the direction of sprawl. In view of the above findings, there is the need for the government to reserve a 'green belt ' around the urban centre for farming and recreational activities . Well improved intra-urban and suburban roads along different directions from the urban centre is necessary for the fringe to be easily accessible to the people and avoid over concentration in a few parts while land is under used in other parts of urban area.
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SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS OF THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARTS IN GEOGRAPHY DEPARTMENT OF GEOGRAPHY, AHMADU BELLO UNIVERSITY, Z A R I A
Keywords
PROCESS,, PERI,, URBAN LANDUSE,, CONVERSION,, OFFA TOWN,, KWARA STATE,,, NIGERIA.
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