Housing the city poor initiative (II)

The Abuja Master Plan is a document which made proposals on the roadmap for the implementation of the Federal Capital City development. While the policymakers designed the implementation based on the proposal provided it is not the master plan that directly specifies the number of families or residential units per plot, or the number of floors in neighbourhood, district and city centre, with required setbacks, percentage plot coverage and parking provisions. But it was a deduction based on the general principle of the plan.

In the tenth chapter of the plan, housing development programme was discussed. The housing types identified were; single family detached and semi-detached housing; serviced land; flats; and multi-family housing. Due to the recognition of changes in standards and in economic status, the plan was not exhaustive on the specifications. It proposed a special case of multi-family housing for migrants. These are generally low-income who are expected to be attracted to the new capital in search of employment. This house type may also provide initial shelter for low-income informal sector households.

It stated that since migrant households initially are small, often only a single male or a man and wife, initial built area space provision would be small, one large room of 13 square metres (about 140 square feet). To reduce the total plot cost to individual households, six migrant low-income households would occupy a 240 square metre plot having an effective plot area per household of 40 square metres.

That is the size requirement of a housing type popularly known as studio apartment. Typically, it is a one-room apartment where bedroom, kitchen, and living area are all contained in one single area. Only the bathroom is separated by a door or divider. In the Nigerian context, it is otherwise referred as one-bedroom self-contained apartment. The difference is, in the popular one-bedroom apartment, there is a wall separation between the bedroom and the living area. It is also known as a studio flat in the UK, efficiency apartment or bed-sitter in the Kenya, or bachelor apartment.

Studio apartments offer the advantage of being considerably cheaper to rent or buy compared to multi-room dwellings; the resident only having to give up the living space and substantial level of privacy, especially when receiving a guest. Studio apartments have historically been offered mainly for rent. However, in recent years, the units have been increasingly sold as condominiums in response to rising housing costs which make larger dwellings unaffordable to many would-be home buyers.

Studio apartments are cost-effective. Typically, they are cheaper than one-bedroom apartments, making them a popular choice among renters who want to save money. They are easy to maintain, with less square footage to cover. Also, cleaning a studio apartment can be quicker and easier. Other advantages include energy efficiency and fewer utilities This is the building type that would be most appropriate for adoption for the benefit of the low-income; those who offer technical services, with  less purchasing power, but great value in the well-being and sustenance of the city.

Studio apartments are environmentally friendly, but could lead to adversity when there are failures in regulations of use. Really, as a bachelor apartment as is otherwise known, when occupants squeeze in wife and children from the village, there will be overpopulation. Thus when granting building plan approval, the dos and don’ts must be included in the conditions, with clearly specified penalties. The developer or landlord would have to be charged with the responsibility.

Meanwhile, the developments of the studio apartments would face some challenges in our capital city. For the fact that the manual has not been responding to the dynamics of innovations in development trends. A typical built-up area with the height requirement of four floors as permitted for high density development can accommodate up to 16 studio apartments, but the city development standard and regulation permits only eight.

With the prevailing requirements, those desirous of studio apartment developments would not recover their investments with only eight dwelling units in comparison with two or three bedroom apartments. The next option would be presenting a deceitful design which when approved would be developed and converted to hotels or lodging apartments and used as such. In such a situation, the affordability advantage of the studio as a dwelling for the benefits of the low-income group is being short-changed.

We have to come to terms by accepting the increased number of dwelling units beyond the eight. More so that it would not contradict the provision of the Abuja Master Plan. There is no need for developers trying to cut corners when they know that their desired developments are captured in the development programme, and can be approved. We can also go further to increase the height standard to be more than four. Because, we have been witnessing many high rise residential condominiums in many major world cities whenever we visit.