Open AccessAn Analysis of Existing Housing Stock in Selected Neighbourhoods in Port Harcourt Municipality
Author(s) -
Ibisiki T. Godwill,
Opuenebo Binya Owei,
Ibama Brown
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
european journal of environment and earth sciences
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 2684-446X
DOI - 10.24018/ejgeo.2021.2.3.139
Subject(s) - stratified sampling , socioeconomics , stock (firearms) , business , public housing , human settlement , geography , neighbourhood (mathematics) , engineering , civil engineering , statistics , sociology , mathematics , mathematical analysis , archaeology
The housing stock in Port Harcourt municipality has over the years experienced incremental deterioration from neglect to change of use, paucity of funds and sometimes misappropriation of resources. The study assessed existing housing stock within Port Harcourt municipality with the objective to ascertain the physical condition of the housing stock in some planned and unplanned neighbourhoods in Orije layout-Orominike (D/Line), Port Harcourt Township and Diobu (Mile1 and Mile 2) and some waterfront settlements. Twenty-five (25) communities were identified from the entire study area. Some indicators such as habitable space, physical condition, availability of basic social infrastructure and services and environmental quality of the housing unit were measured. The sample was drawn purposively as 4 distinct neighbourhoods were studied. A multi-stage sampling technique was deployed, Taro Yamane formula was applied to determine the sample size of 156, as the number of questionnaires to be administered and stratified simple random sampling technique was employed to select respondents with household 5 persons per household of which 148 questionnaires were retrieved. Data from the field were analysed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS), aimed at comparing the nature of substandard housing found across the neighbourhoods studied. The result indicates that the housing stock in the indigenous enclaves within the Diobu neighbourhood has a high occupancy ratio and lacked basic public utilities and services in addition to houses being constructed with substandard materials. Residents often experience periodic flooding after rainfalls. The study recommends that to further improve the standard of housing conditions in line with the global UN standards, the provision of basic social infrastructural services alongside periodic and consistent urban renewal processes should be constantly carried out to reduce the housing deficit within the municipality.