Building Setback Research Articles

How to get high-rise residential design to respond road traffic noise

Rapid urbanization causes acute contradictions of road traffic noise on residents' health. Although many works have been done in this field, specific investigations of how to get a design of residential area to correspond road traffic noise is still limited, especially in a high population dense area. This paper, therefore, focused on high-rise residential blocks, researching relations between design variables and distribution of road traffic noise. In the study, a typical high population dense city, Shenzhen was employed as study case. Based on noise map simulation, design element, block layout, design of individual buildings was proved important in traffic noise impact. The results discovered that the noise reduction effect is relatively significant when the building setback is within 30 - 40 meters of setback curb. To minimize traffic noise impact, flexible layout of board point perimeter type might play an important role. Lowering building heights with increasing the number of building rows, two-story podiums around high-rise buildings, and the addition of balcony railing plate could result in significant noise reductions. Focusing on design elements, this work developed an overall evaluation to improve acoustic environment of high-rise residentials based on noise map simulation, and provided significant contributions in responding road traffic noise.

Relative Variability in Streetscape Skeletons and Spatial Association: Application for Identifying Harmonious and Inharmonious Streetscape Skeletons in Tokyo

Whether or not a streetscape skeleton (defined as the 3D street space) is harmonious depends on the degree of difference between heights and setbacks of adjacent buildings, which is called the relative variability in the streetscape skeleton, but this has generally been overlooked. Because streetscape skeletons are ambiguous, evaluating whether or not they are harmonious is thus conceptually and technically challenging. This article, therefore, considers the relative variability in streetscape skeletons and their spatial associations and answers the following question: where are harmonious or inharmonious streetscape skeletons locally clustered? The relative variability in the streetscape skeletons in the districts of the Tokyo metropolitan region was computed, where building heights and setbacks are directly controlled through streetscape promotion district planning stipulated in the City Planning Act. The spatial association of the relative variability in streetscape skeletons was then visualized to identify where streetscape skeletons are harmonious and inharmonious. The results showed that although harmonious streetscape skeletons are spatially clustered inside the domain bounded by wider streets, such clusters are small and spatially scattered. We, therefore, concluded that the effectiveness of direct controls through streetscape‐promoting district planning to maintain and create harmonious streetscape skeletons is spatially limited and thus insufficient.

The impact of building regulations on indoor environmental quality: the case of detached houses in Jordan

PurposeAs numerous research studies have investigated the effect of the built environment on human contentment, building regulations have advanced as a direct impact on indoor environmental quality (IEQ) to include thermal, lighting, air quality and acoustics systems. Yet, while IEQ and residents' satisfaction have been discussed thoroughly in previous research, only a few studies have researched the role of building regulations as motivating factors in the housing context, specifically in Jordan.Design/methodology/approachA mixed-method approach was adopted to address this issue involving genotype analysis for building morphology and simulation using Design Builder software. This helped to understand the impact of building regulations variables, including building setback, the height of an adjacent building, orientation and building geometry. Meanwhile, an online survey was conducted to include 410 residents spread out in various building categories (A, B, C and D).FindingsThe results of this study revealed that building regulation of setbacks, the height of adjacent buildings and orientation are significant parameters that directly affect IEQ and residents' satisfaction. In addition, based on this study, the matter was clear that the highest total satisfaction resulted based on the highest comfort level in terms of temperature and daylight obtained due to larger setback and lower building height. Yet, this finding undermined smart growth principles due to the limited scope of building regulation that focused only on spatial and physical dimensions, so improving to include environmental aspects such as passive design strategies that appreciate natural ventilation and lighting is necessary, which positively impact IEQ.Originality/valueThe concept of IEQ and residents' satisfaction have been discussed thoroughly, but only a few studies have researched the role of building regulations as motivating factors in the housing context specifically in Jordan.

RESIDENT’S COMPLIANCE WITH COLONIAL PLANNING REGULATIONS IN PERIURBAN AREA OF IBADAN, NIGERIA

The present planning standard in Nigeria is with a colonial footprint. The study examined resident’s compliance with planning regulations in peri – urban of Ibadan, Oyo state, Nigeria. A cross-sectional survey research design was adopted while both primary and secondary data were sourced. Using a multistage sampling technique, two peri-urban local Government areas (Ido and Oluyole local government) in Ibadan region were identified and two settlements (Apete and Odo Ona Elewe) were randomly selected from each selected LGAs. A total of 7,170 houses from Apete (3,500) and Odo Ona elewe (3,670) were enumerated and 3% (215) sample size was taken. Observation checklist was used to assess the level of compliance with the planning regulations. Both descriptive and inferential statistics (chi square) were used to analyse the data at P ≥ = 0.05%. The study revealed that about 75.3 % of the respondents were aware of the planning regulation, while only 58.6% complied with the building setback regulation. The study concluded that planning regulations have not been given adequate attention. Therefore, planning standard relating to building should be strictly enforced.

Automatic measurement of building setbacks and streetscape widths and their spatial variability along streets and in plots: integration of streetscape skeletons and plot geometry

Measuring building setbacks and heights along streets is important for evaluating the variability of streetscape skeletons, the 3D spaces of streets defined by the arrangement of surrounding buildings. Its evaluation requires computing the streetscape width, defined as the front road width of a building plus the setbacks of both sides of the front roads, the building heights and the ratio of the streetscape width to the building height, known as the streetscape width-to-height ratio. However, measuring building setbacks and streetscape widths with geographical information systems (GIS) workstations remains theoretically and technically challenging because conventional methods fail to define the ambiguous boundaries of streetscape skeletons. To address this issue, we developed a new method for defining and measuring building setbacks and streetscape widths automatically and in a consistent way. A new basic spatial unit was also developed for evaluating the variability in building setbacks, heights, streetscape widths and streetscape width-to-height ratios not only in plots focusing on classical urban morphologies but also along streets focusing on a pedestrian perspective. The method contributes practically to the measurement and evaluation of streetscape skeletons in a bottom-up way at fine intervals without the need for setting predetermined spatial units. KEY POLICY HIGHLIGHTS Measuring building setbacks and heights along roads is important for evaluating the variability of streetscape skeletons. However, measuring these in an actual complex urban space without vagueness on a GIS workstation is difficult. We have developed a new method for defining and measuring building setbacks and streetscape widths automatically. A new basic spatial unit for evaluating streetscape skeletons is proposed focusing on the plot geometry and a pedestrian perspective. The method contributes to the evaluation of streetscapes in a bottom-up way at fine intervals without setting predetermined spatial units.

How to harmonise variations in streetscape skeletons under zoning regulations: Considering their external diseconomies

The arrangement of buildings along roads creates one of the most fundamental patterns of three-dimensional streetscape skeletons, primarily defined as a set of building heights and setbacks in a district. Under zoning regulations, building heights and setbacks are indirectly controlled by the building coverage ratio (BCR) and the floor area ratio (FAR). Variations in the BCR result in variations in streetscape skeletons. Moderate complexity of streetscape skeletons is a necessary condition for aesthetic streetscape. Understanding the relationships between variations in the BCR, building heights and setbacks is thus important in order to harmonise streetscape skeletons, smaller variations in building heights, and setbacks, however, this relationship has yet to be theoretically investigated due to the complex relationship between buildings. The objective of this paper is therefore to formulate the relationship between variations in building heights and setbacks as a function of the standard deviation of BCR, and, based on this formulation, to discuss how to indirectly harmonise variations in streetscape skeletons under zoning regulations. This formulation enables us to analytically investigate the relationship between these two functions and the standard deviation of a BCR. An indirect scheme for harmonising variations in streetscape skeletons under zoning regulations is proposed on the basis of this formulation. The external diseconomies of inharmonious streetscape skeletons are quantitatively defined in order to incentivise plot owners to harmonise streetscape skeletons. The optimal building height and setback criteria are computed, which minimises the social cost of inharmonious building heights and building setbacks in a district. This scheme for incentivising plot owners to reduce their social costs is expected to contribute to indirectly harmonising streetscape skeletons.

Influence of typical street-side public building morphologies on the ventilation performance of streets and squares

The deterioration of the urban environment has captured the attention of governmental departments and research institutions, which aim to improve the urban environment from the perspective of optimizing urban morphology. Although ideal building arrays and residential building morphologies have been previously studied, research on the relationship between public building morphology and urban ventilation is currently scarce. Therefore, we used computational fluid dynamics (CFD) to analyze the relationship between six public building morphologies extracted from real cities and urban ventilation. This study bridges the gap between public building morphology and urban ventilation and guides the future architectural design and urban planning. The purging flow rate and age of air were used to quantify the ventilation capacity of the squares, paths, and streets in public building blocks. The results show that a square space formed by public building setbacks can form a broad space with a path and street, which is conducive to incoming wind, resulting in better ventilation capacity. Overall, public building morphologies with 8 m street-side setbacks and 16 m path-side setbacks exhibited higher superiority rates for both single and multiple public building morphologies (66.7% and 83.3%, respectively). This study concluded that a public building morphology with 8 m street-side setbacks is the best because of a high ventilation capacity (total superiority rate = 66.7%) and building packing density.

Assessing the mitigation performance of building setback from street and the combination with roadside tree planting

Planning regulation measures are essential for creating healthy, liveable environments in highly developed cities like Hong Kong. Planning design strategies such as building setback and green cover have been proposed. However, the effectiveness of these strategies, especially the synergistic benefits of integrated application in real-world settings is a seldom-discussed topic. This study quantified the environmental benefits of building setback from street in high-density high-rise urban areas. In particular, the study considered the related dynamic changes in building height associated with the extra floor area incentive policy for encouraging building setback. Two streets were chosen as test cases from a highly developed, climate-sensitive urban districts. Numerical modeling was conducted in ENVI-met, and the accuracy in predicting wind speed and PET results was validated using real-site measurement data. Building setback and roadside tree planting work synergistically, and individual cooling efficiency was enhanced. 3-metre building setback with tree-planting demonstrates a similar mitigation outcome as the 6-m building setback scenario. Such an integrated method is able to create a comfortable microclimate in the heavily built urban areas. These findings point to the value of a balanced approach to sustainable urban development while maintaining density control. This study offers useful information for urban redevelopment and street improvement projects in high-density cities.

Effects of building setback on thermal comfort and air quality in the street canyon

The concern of mitigating thermal stress and pollutant concentration has increased in recent urban design. Most previous studies have demonstrated the promising potential of integrating building setbacks to simultaneously improve thermal comfort and air quality within street canyons. By conducting computational fluid dynamic (CFD) simulations with the consideration of solar radiation, the effects of both horizontal and vertical building setbacks on outdoor thermal comfort and air quality are simultaneously investigated inside the low-rise and high-rise street canyon. Several design parameters of building setbacks are considered, i.e., the dimensionless height (HHS/W) and dimensionless width (DHS/W) for the horizontal setbacks (HS), as well as the dimensionless length (LVS/L) and dimensionless width (DVS/W) for the vertical setbacks (VS), where W and L are the street width and length. The results demonstrate that the horizontal building setbacks are advocated within the low-rise street canyon, which simultaneously improves the thermal comfort and air quality. By manipulating its dimensionless vertical cross-section area SHS (increasing SHS = HHS/W × DHS/W) and its dimensionless aspect ratio HHS/DHS (lowering HHS/DHS), the average PET can decline by up to 2.1 °C and the average pollutant concentration can reduce by up to 61% at the two-side pedestrian level (windward and leeward sides). The vertical building setbacks are more suitable for the high-rise street canyon to create better outdoor environments. The dimensionless horizontal cross-section area SVS (= LVS/L × DVS/W) should be as large as possible so that the average PET can decrease by up to 0.7 °C and the average pollutant concentration can reduce by up to 35% at the two-side pedestrian level. Finally, an effectiveness index to simultaneously evaluate thermal comfort and air quality is introduced and proves effective.

APPRAISAL OF CONDITIONAL ATTRIBUTES OF RESIDENTIAL BUILDINGS IN AKURE, NIGERIA

The situation of residential buildings in urban areas must be assessed to ascertain their form and age, functions, convenience, and liveability. As a result, this paper evaluates selected aspects of the condition of residential buildings in Akure, Nigeria. The study's objectives include examining the types of housing units, plot coverage, the number of rooms, and building setbacks. Other factors include housing tenure, the condition of the in-house tap, the type of toilet facilities, and the age of the buildings. The study drew on both primary and secondary data sources. A total of 1,369 people were polled, with 684, 480, and 205 representing the core, transition, and peripheral zones. According to the findings, tenement buildings accounted for 62.3 percent of Akure's residential buildings. In the city core, 88.6 percent of the respondents developed their lands above 50 percent, while 20.0 percent developed their lands above 50 percent on the outskirts. The paper suggests that the relevant stakeholders should enforce the subsisting building regulations, introduce environmental inspectors and mobile courts, and the Ondo State government should invest in urban infrastructure.

The nexus of gendered practices, energy, and space use: A comparative study of middleclass housing in Pakistan and Jordan

The nexus of gendered domestic practices, energy and space use remains under-researched in energy studies, particularly in the Global South. This paper takes a gendered practice-theoretical approach to investigate women’s differential energy and space use in domestic practices. Qualitative analysis of semi-structured interviews with middleclass homeowners in Lahore, Pakistan and Amman, Jordan show that energy and space use are implicated in the gendering of domestic practices in three ways: 1) contingency of women’s energy consumption on spatial affordances of housing developments in the gendered division of private/public spheres, 2) women as primary performers of domestic energy flexibility and demand management practices and 3) women’s varied and differential agency in their roles as wives, mothers, caregivers, mothers- and daughters-in-law, income-generators, and housemaids. In Lahore, women as household managers negotiate domestic practices under an intermittent electricity supply and power dynamics of extended families and domestic service. In Amman, nuclear family structures and declining servant culture result in women’s greater reliance on energy-intensive technologies, especially for working women. In both contexts, modernist spatial regulations that determine building density and setbacks, height restrictions, spatial layouts and window placement etc. exhibit gender oversights and conflict with socio-cultural norms of privacy and segregation. This has implications for domestic energy demand, with different women having to negotiate between comfort, convenience, and consumption. The study highlights limitations of current gender-neutral and gender-binary approaches in housing and energy and calls for greater socio-cultural understanding of gender relations and intersectional agencies in domestic energy practices for improved equity and sustainability.

A parametric approach to optimize solar access for energy efficiency in high-rise residential buildings in dense urban tropics

This study demonstrates a parametric approach to optimize solar access for high-rise residential buildings in urban tropics. Using parametric modelling, 75 urban contexts were generated for three simulation models characterized as high-rise residential buildings located in an urban tropical climate. In order to optimize solar access in terms of daylight and annual energy savings, this study quantified the shading effects of the urban context, on annual cooling energy, annual daytime lighting energy and spatial daylight autonomy (sDA) for the simulation models. In this study, the optimum solar access is defined for a perimeter zone in a high-rise residential building, achieving 75 sDA (300lx|50) with corresponding annual energy savings of 28%-36% in the east–west and 8%-12% in the north–south directions. As the optimum solar access is difficult to calculate at the early design stage, building setback curves were developed. The prescribed building setbacks were validated with three calibrated case studies. All case studies met 50% of interior spaces (living rooms and bedrooms) with 55 sDA (300lx|50) and annual energy savings of 26%-31% in east–west and 9%-15% in north–south directions. Therefore, the prescribed building setback curves for optimum solar access developed in this study could be applied to high-rise residential buildings between 10 and 31 floors in the tropics.

IDENTIFIKASI PEMANFAATAN ARKADE DAN IMPLEMENTASI GSB NOL DI JAKARTA BARAT

Title: Identification of Arcade Utilization and Implementation of Zero Setbacks in West Jakarta Perda No. 1 - 2014 about Jakarta’s Zoning Regulation mentioned about guidance which control building setback, streets, and right of way; in the way to achieve well-ordered cityscape in terms of urban design and architecture. However, there are unclear statement about area characterized with arcade and zero setbacks. In actual condition, there is location dominated by zero setbacks appearance based on necessary needs. This issue trigerred visual cluttering in cityscape. Based on that condition, this study tried to understand and identify location in administrative West Jakarta area which indicate arcade and zero setbacks due to its affected aspects. Site observation and mapping used as a method to finding data and analyze the process to get overall trend and tendency. Findings about this study represent such condition wtih incontinuity pattern about arcade and zero setbacks in some area or corridor. Proposal about spatial planning in conclusion of this study role as suggestion to evaluate the regulation.

Analyze of physical land use changes : Case study: Gagak Hitam Street, Medan

The Gagak Hitam Street was implemented in Sub-Regional Planning of Medan City. The Mayor’s Decree changed the land use of Gagak Hitam Street from the special buildings to mix use area between shops and public buildings with a building setback from 15 meters changed to 10 meters. This research aims to determine how the process of physical change and the factors that cause physical land use changes at Gagak Hitam Street Medan in 2003, 2010 and 2017. Urban land use is classified as residential land, government and private offices, schools, health centers and industrial. The research uses qualitative methods with a case study approach that uses purposive sampling. The variables are land use, which can be measured by sub-variables such as land use function, type of activity, building intensity, building height, building setback and government regulations. Research conducted along Gagak Hitam Street is divided into three segments. The segment I (Gatot Subroto Street – Sunggal Street), segment II (Senegal Street - Bungan Asoka Street), segment III (Bunga Asoka Street-Setia Budi Street). This research indicates the process and results of physical land use changes on Gagak Hitam Street, which are used as data for development of the outer ring road area.

Reading the potential of urban pocket through narrative approach

Building setback areas in the commercial area have the potential to be social spaces due to its characteristic as an intersection between public and private. In fact, they are mostly used for vehicle mobility and parking. The purpose of building setback is usually related to security consideration, thus the building’s owner tend to make a clear separation between public and private. Building setback areas are interesting to be examined, especially when there are a lot of activities going on in them. Building setback area in Taman Kemang Street is one example which creates some urban pockets with different characteristic. The configuration of urban pockets will make some arrangement of urban void along the street with pedestrian connectivity. Taman Kemang Street has different activities between daytime and night. From the early observation, it is found that there are some actan, setting, and story. Those three elements can be observed and examined further as elements of narration. This paper attempt to find the characteristics of daily activities in building setback areas of Taman Kemang Street and try to read the story through narrative approach. The objective of this research is to get some design recommendation by reading the potential of urban pockets through narrative approach.

Estimation of building shape by block size

Abstract. Block restructuring has been strongly emphasized in Japan for renovating cities. However, little is known about the relation between block size and building shape. Moreover, the shape of buildings designed on a block after restructuring is unclear. Some estimation methods for urban physical status, such as building footprint location, floor area, and land use, have been developed in previous research. Taima et al. (2016) developed a model to estimate the building footprint area by using GIS. The future image of the building footprint on various blocks is visualized. Similarly, Asami and Ohtaki (2000) developed a model to estimate detached house location. Orford (2010) developed a methodology for estimating the floor area of individual properties from digital infrastructure data. Shiravi et al. (2015) assessed the utility of some models for estimating floor area using three data sources: a geographic vector building footprint layer, a LiDAR data set, and field survey data for the south side of the city of Fredericton, Canada. They discussed the reliability and accuracy of each model. In other research, Brunner et al. (2009) extended a methodology for building height estimation and tried to improve its accuracy. Schmidt et al. (2010) presented an approach to the estimation of building density on the block scale. Land use (Debnath and Amin, 2016; Jiang and Liu, 2012) and floor area (Orford, 2010) are popular topics and estimated in previous studies of the urban field, but estimation of building shape has seldom been a focus in the literature. Three-dimensional estimations of buildings cannot be found. If software to estimate building shape by block shape and other conditions was developed, it would be useful to determine urban planning, such as population estimation and landuse estimation. In this study, an estimation model is developed and applied to certain areas. In this study, the relation between block size and building shape is analyzed quantitatively, and a three-dimensional building shape is estimated by a model using an urban planning GIS data set of Tokyo (Figure 1 and 2). Results show the quantitative relation between block size and building shape, and the building shape image on the blocks. Higher buildings and buildings with a basement tend to be built in larger blocks, leading to efficient use of the maximum volume permitted in the block. In addition, the region composed by larger blocks can be spacious, because the range of building setback will be long in larger blocks. Designation of a high floor area ratio may induce integration and enlargement of blocks. Blocks are less likely to be partitioned in zones when a high floor area ratio is designated.

Household-Level Population Estimates and Building Setbacks near Underground Natural Gas Storage Wells in PA, OH, NY, WV, MI, and CA

Health impacts have been reported in people living near oil and gas operations (e.g., asthma exacerbation). Towards assessing these risks, studies quantifying proximate populations generally assume an even spatial distribution of population within an administrative unit (e.g., census block). These proportion population allocation (PPA) methods can be improved by excluding non-residential land use areas (i.e. dasymetric mapping), but are still too imprecise to obtain reliable estimates of population densities at small spatial scales (e.g., 50m2). Here we present ABODE (Allocation By Occupied Domicile Estimation), a novel household-level population estimation method that combines geospatial addresses, building footprints, and U.S. Census data. We assess ABODE and PPA methods by comparing population estimates within 200m of active underground natural gas storage (UGS) wells (n = 8,963) in six U.S. states. Overall, ABODE predicts slightly higher population estimates compared to PPA (48,126 vs. 43,052); however estimation bias varied by state and by individual well. ABODE captured higher populations within 200m of UGS wells in OH, WV, and PA with increases of 6, 54, and 66% compared to the PPA method, respectively. Conversely, the ABODE method captures fewer populations in NY, MI, and CA, with decreases of 4, 7, and 26%, respectively. By explicitly identifying households near active UGS wells in the six states, we also quantify well-to-building relationships and compare to state surface setback regulations where they exist. An estimated 9.4% (840) of UGS wells across the six states have at least one building within a regulated setback distance. This results in 2,769 households, or an estimated 4,816 people, living within these states’ respective setbacks (e.g., 100 - 625ft.). The spatially-resolved nature of the ABODE method provides a clear advancement from previous proximity-based methods towards understanding present and future land-use conflicts.

Impact of Setbacks on Interior Daylighting in Residential Buildings: A Case Study of Vijayawada, India

Background/Objectives: Efficient day lighting in the residential buildings has several physiological and psychological benefits, particularly contributing to visual comfort. Setbacks and window openings play a major role in admission of day lighting into the buildings. However in general, many spaces inside the buildings most frequently suffer from inefficient day lighting due to inadequate setbacks and window sizes. Given this background, this paper is a scholastic attempt to assess the impact of building setbacks on the window sizes, so as to achieve comfortable day lighting. Methods/Analysis: For this purpose, day lighting in two differently oriented independent residential buildings located in Vijayawada (India) having different setbacks was studied. The day lighting contours were calculated using a Lux Meter at different timings of the day in each of the functional spaces /rooms of the buildings. Also, the interior natural illumination levels in different rooms of the buildings were analyzed against the required standard illumination levels as recommended by The National Building Code of India 2005and the local building byelaws. Findings: The spaces inside buildings suffering from inadequate day lighting were identified. Application/Improvements: Based on the day lighting analysis, design recommendations for window sizes with reference to the respective building setbacks were suggested. Keywords: Building Setbacks, Day Lighting, Obstructions, Residential Buildings, Window Sizes

Policy Options for Coastal Protection: Integrating Inland Water Management with Coastal Management for Greater Community Resilience

Coastal cliff collapse is a problem faced along many shorelines the world over, especially as cliffs tend to be impacted by global climate change. Problems of cliff collapse can benefit from interdisciplinary policy responses that synthesize principles of integrated watershed management, integrated coastal zone management and water sensitive urban design. This exploratory, largely empirical research, looks at how local and national policies address coastal cliff collapse along Israel's Mediterranean seashore, in a way that highlights impediments and opportunities for integrated planning. Findings emphasize the importance of addressing urban runoff to prevent coastal cliff collapse using practices originating based on the three paradigms. Conclusions provide insights about policies that could improve the resilience of coastal communities suffering from coastal cliff collapse in the era of climate change. Particularly, greater cross-scale (regional and national) efforts are needed to coordinate proper drainage of the watershed which along coastal cliffs involves integrating principles of watershed management, coastal management and urban design practices. These should be aimed at implementing practices that reduce phenomena that lead to cliff destabilization, such as insuring runoff diversion and building setbacks. The case study research leads to recommendations for policy mechanisms that provide opportunities to implement such practices.

Enforcing Building Set Backs as a Viable Strategy for an Emerging City

For any emerging city to grow into a healthy and safe city, development guidelines and regulations which serve as a vital strategy should be considered and be adhered to. Most importantly the town and country planning laws which are purposely designed to regulate various development aspects that includes, zoning practices, occupancy type building height, as well as building setbacks among many other regulations, depending on the problems of a particular locality. Suleja in the last three decades has rapidly experienced increase in size with numerous number of buildings springing up, largely as a result of its proximity to the new Federal Capital Territory; unfortunately most of the buildings were haphazardly placed with less or little regard to local planning regulations. This paper is aimed to explore how non adherence to building setbacks affects the immediate dwelling units of an area. A field survey and oral interviews were used in three core areas of Suleja to evaluate the level of non-adherence of building setbacks, and its resultant effects. The research findings identified several problems arising from non-compliance to building setbacks regulations, which includes poorly lightened and ventilated interiors of dwelling units, lack of access roads linking buildings with main roads, lack of outdoor spaces for parking vehicles and unsafe environment which all leads to a poor city growth.