Traditional Housing Potentials in Addressing Climatic Hazards in Nigeria: A Case of Bida, Niger State, Nigeria.

Abstract

This paper explores the socio-cultural variables that informed housing design and architecture in a tropical country like Nigeria. Due to economic and especially population pressures; many attributes of local architecture and planning has been relegated to the background with serious consequences to life and living in urban areas. The issue of climate change have also brought further unfortunate dimension that in most cases worsen the already bad situation. Through physical and socio-economic surveys that include physical assessment and measurement of traditional housing designs coupled with interviews and opinion surveys of members of the traditional builder’s guild; the study was able to generate data that formed the basis for field findings and recommendations. Hence, this paper is of the opinion that if an adaptation of the traditional settlement planning and architecture standards were done in line with the dictates of the 21ST century weather and climate conditions, many of the present and future or predicted natural and man-made catastrophes can be minimized or averted altogether.