Evaluation of Sustainable Maintenance and Security of Green Spaces in Public Housing Schemes in Lagos State, Nigeria

Abstract

Security of lives and property in housing environments is one of the basic necessity in the provision of public housing. The nature of maintenance given to green spaces in public housing environment can affect the level of security of lives and property. However, due to the antecedents of public housing, its unique population and the problems it creates for law enforcement agencies on security issues, there is need to evaluate how sustainable maintenance of green spaces within public housing could affect the level of security of lives and property. The public housing constructed by the Lagos State Development and Property Corporation (LSDPC) in Lagos State, Nigeria was used for this study. Primary data was collected from 1036 housing units in 12 different estates of the LSDPC in Lagos State, using the research tools of the questionnaire and structured observation schedule. Descriptive statistics and categorical regression analyses were carried out on the data. The results showed that the green spaces around each housing units were sustainably maintained, than jointly owned green spaces by all residents of the housing estates and this has implications to the level of security of lives and property in the housing estates. It is recommended that public housing estate’s green spaces be designed to allow for sustainability in maintenance by each housing units, which would lead to a general sustainable maintenance view of all green spaces available in the public housing environment.