Characteristics and perception of resident on the condition of housing provisions in selected housing Estate
CHAPTER ONE
- Introduction
Shelter as we know has been and will remain one of the basic needs of man apart from food and clothing, just like everyman needs food to live and clothes for covering, they also need shelter for protection either against hot weather condition or other dangerous animal. This important factor has shifted the focus on housing from affordability to standard i.e. the overall condition of a particular building.
In the light of the above, housing was never government priority until recently due to the sudden upsurge of population especially it the cities which is sometimes connected to industrialization and this has thrown up the demand for shelter due to the inadequate existing stock of houses. Government have therefore taken full responsibility while calling on private participation to make sure its citizens have something over their head but our main focus will be on the various housing estate around either Government inactive or private participation.
1.1 Background of Study
Houses may have the same building plan or may be identical in every aspect but there mere fact that the have or stand on different location makes each of then different from another.
In the light of the above, two identical houses in different living environment will not necessary command the same rent passing, one must definitely be higher than the other and some times due to the ideology of the environment or the activities that goes on around such environment, say commercial, industrial, administrative etc, but when talking about housing estate the ideology is that, it is not for common people, that you must be someone really special to reside not to talk of owning an apartment in the estate, even when the objective of most of this housing Estate was government means of providing accommodation to low-income earners.
It is an agreed fact that some of this Estate are classified low-income but an estate could have accommodation for all the class be it high, middle or low income earners, so the question here is what is the true condition of this estate. This research work will be or seeks to find bridge that exist between the ideology of the housing estate and the main objective of this estate as the rarity
- Itiam – Ewet Housing Estate and
- Federal Housing Estate, Abak Road All in Uyo
1.2 Statement of Problem
It is believed that housing estate is actually a place for the rich, strong and influential citizens of the state reside due to the living environment of the estates, so this makes many people think that living in such estate is about luxury given that it has or goes with a form of prestige but who are the ones that were meant to live there and is life in the estate all about luxury? This and many more are the question to be answered.
- Aim of the Study
This thesis will tend to highlight the characteristic of the resident in the aforementioned housing estate. Although we have 3 classes of peoples we still want to go deeper to classified them in terms of the Age bracket, education attainment, occupation, sex, family size and also obtain their views on the electricity supply, portable water etc the total condition of housing provision in this estate
1.4 Objective of the Study
- To identify the class of citizens that resides in this Housing estate
- To show if the resident have anything the share in common
- To draw a conclusion on the various perception of the resident
- to determine if the existing conditions of this housing estate are in line with its objective.
1.5 Significant of the Study
This research work is to investigate the characteristics of resident of the 2 major housing estate in Uyo
The findings will thus be of help or assistant to Government agencies in the formulation of policies that has to do with mass housing project. It will enhance the provision to be made in the scheme. It will let the concern establishment know the real problem of each estate and give particular attention in finding a lastly solution to them.
It will help the town planers architect draw up a good layout a design that will not just be effectively but efficiently in its usage when working on mass housing scheme.
1.6 Research Question
- Are this estate or every other estate a place for the rich, strong and influential people only in the society?
- Does the condition of this housing estate depict its status quo as being full of luxurious or its prestigious status
- How effective is housing estate when it comes to the delivering of houses to low income earners
- should housing estate be encouraged or discourage
1.7 Scope of Study
The theme of this project centres on the characteristics and perception of the resident an the condition of housing provision in the estates.
Thus as a matter of precision, the scope of this work is limited to
- the Federal Housing Estate, Abak Road, Uyo
- Itiam / Ewet Housing Estate, Uyo
Its intends to highlight the characteristic of resident in terms of age, educational qualification etc and the perception of the residents in term of the power supply, portable water, access to good roads etc in this housing estate.
- Limitation
1.9 Study Area
Apico shelter Afrique Model Estate, Mbiabong Uyo, Green Spring Estate, Mbiabong, Uyo, the Akwa Iima Estate, Osongama Estate are among the various housing estate present in Uyo but the 2 major estate in the Metropolis include Itiam/Ewet Housing Estate and the Federal Housing Estate, Iboko Offot. The former is bounded by Uruan Street, Oron Road, Nsikak Eduok Road and Nwaniba Road, although the estate can be access by some minor entrance along the aforementioned road, it has a state of the art major entrance access by Uruan Streets.
The estate comprises 1,242 units of various house type ranging from detach semi detach bungalows, duplex to mansianette (APICO). It not a pure residential area as there have been some of crop of commercial activities that support the estate. The estate is the home to the prestigious ultra fitness / Gymnastic centre. It also houses some lucrative hotel – Amity, Leegazy. De-castle just to mentioned but few, there are also located within that estate semi eatery centre like green olive, sun centre, school etc this has kept the estate lively and its population is growing stranger on a daily basis.
This estate has such a prestigious states because it is not just seen as but it is the home of top government officials retired and active, top politicians, business gurys, great ministers of God etc and this is responsible for the high value of landed property in the estate which is also backed by high demand for them. It is fully occupied and has a asphalt read network although there are still some road that are nothing to write home about. The estate is being management by the Akwa Ibom property and investment Company Ltd (APICO) and it has a constant supply of light and portable water evidenced by the presence of electric poles public water facilities but how constant the are is being question by the presence of generating set and a bore hole dug in every home.
The later which is located precisely at Iboke Offot behind bank estate has block 1 of 29 units and block 2 of 30 units of various house type including 2 and 3 bedroom detach and semidetach bungalows (APICO). It is more of residential when compared with the former since the major commercial facilities are outside the estate but it houses a branch of Sky Bank Nigeria, Fishers Hotels Limited etc and APICO (head office).
It has an asphalted road network with dedicated utilities. It is more or less as prestigious as the Itiam estate since it has mostly retired senior civil servant as its occupant but more of the who is who are now getting interested but still it has an high market value in landed property when compared to other residential area but not higher than that of the Itiam/Ewet Housing Estate.