AN ASSESSMENT OF THE DISPARITY IN URBAN HOUSING QUALITY IN KEFFI, NASARAWA STATE,NIGERIA

Abstract

Provision of housing as part of residential environment including the physical structure has been beneficial to man as shelter. Housing has contributed to an ensured good living of all inhabitants of different classes. This research seeks to assess the Disparity in Urban Housing Quality in Keffi, Nasarawa State. In the study, a combination of secondary and primary data were collected from the study area. The secondary data were collected from the Keffi Local Government archives. The primary data collection was basically through the administration of questionnaire on socio-economic status of the residents of Keffi town. The procedure of data analysis was a multi-stage sampling process where the study area was divided into three zones: low density, medium density, and high density areas based on building density and location of the area. Based on the findings derived from the survey, Keffi was found to be a relatively sparse populated urban area. The housing quality in the area was generally poor due to poor quality of building materials used and lack of adequate drainage and waste collection system. There was no significant difference in quality of houses of the high, medium, and low density areas. Practicable recommendations were made such as the need for massive building programme, and improvement on the access of people to quality building materials at reasonable cost.