Determinants of housing and environmental conditions in a medium-sized city in Osun State, Southwestern Nigeria

Abstract

The study examined the factors influencing housing and its environmental conditions as well as the relationships between residential building types and their environmental conditions in Inisa, Southwestern Nigeria. Data were obtained through a questionnaire survey of 800 (about 10%) respondents using a systematic random sampling technique. Results indicated that there is a significant variation between building types and housing conditions (χ2=81.834, df=2, p-value=0.000); and between environmental and housing conditions (χ2=73.776, df=1, p-value=0.000). The study also found that four variables (Number of Households in Building; House Ownership; Household Size; and Car Ownership) significantly contributed to the classification of respondents into membership groups of the 'Poor Housing' group and 'Good Housing' group in the binary logistic regression. To improve the housing and environmental conditions of medium-sized cities in Nigeria, the study advocates the Physical Development Plan as a spatial base for urban economic revitalization and environmental regeneration strategies.