COVID RUINS, TOMORROW'S HOMES? ANALYSIS OF AN ADAPTIVE RE-USE APPROACH TO AFFORDABLE HOUSING FOR METROPOLITAN CITIES IN THE GLOBAL SOUTH

Abstract

Acute housing shortage and empty office spaces are likely to emerge as critical urban issues of the post-pandemic (COVID-19) metropolitan cities, considering that the ‘new norms’ of existential patterns have brought about visible socio-economic impacts. With the remote work lifestyle, the commercial real estate litter with underutilised public buildings. Thus, begging the question “could these corporate buildings effectively transform to provide affordable housing in metropolitan cities?” This paper focuses on adaptive reuse as an urban resilience strategy for metropolitan cities in the global south, using Lagos, Nigeria, as a context for the study. The opportunities and challenges of adaptive reuse are considered by reviewing the responses of cities to similar urban crises in the past. Existing literature was reviewed and analysed through a comprehensive desktop research to understand the urban implication of unused spaces in developing countries, effect of policy on adaptive reuse and the implication of adaptation outcomes on affordability. Based on the findings, a research gap was identified. Primary data was collected using online survey and the results were analysed. An adaptive reuse strategy is recommended for housing the youths and the middle class in underused cooperate buildings within cities of developing countries. This paper concludes that reuse of office spaces provides an excellent opportunity for a sustainable housing strategy in metropolitan cities of developing countries through tactical designing and planning approaches, informed by the peculiarities of the society identified within participatory design processes. Keywords: Urban Strategy, Global South, Pandemic, COVID-19, Changing Urban Pattern, Affordable Housing, Circular Economy, Housing Crisis, Sustainable Spaces, Adaptive Reuse