Geographical analysis
Department of Geography & GIS
Department of Geography & GIS
Geographical analysis
DOI: 10.53989/bu.ga.v14i2.25.8 8
Year: 2025, Volume: 14, Issue: 2, Pages: 27- 42
Original Article
Abigail Temitope Adeniji1*, Binde Martin Gasu2, Kayode Julius Samuel3
1Urban and Regional Planning, The Federal Polytechnic Offa, Kwara state, Nigeria.
2Urban and Regional Planning, Osun State University Osogbo, Nigeria.
3Geography, Osun State University, Osogbo, Nigeria.
*Corresponding Author
Email: [email protected]
Received Date:03 June 2025, Accepted Date:25 October 2025
This study examines the spatial transformation of inner-city slums in Ibadan, Nigeria, from 1990 to 2020, focusing on land use and land cover (LULC) changes, changes in population and their urban planning implications. Rapid urbanization, driven by population growth, rural-urban migration, and infrastructural expansion, has led to the densification of built-up areas, gentrification, and the displacement of natural vegetation and water bodies motivated this study. Both primary and secondary data were used, and multi-staged sampling technique was adopted in determining the size. Using techniques such as Random Forest classification, spatial indices, and intensity analysis, the study provides insights into these dynamic shifts. The transformation that is prevalent is in the areas of land use /land cover and great change in the population size spatio-temporally. Results revealed that between 1990-2000 the land mass increased from 17,451,392.4 m2 to 43,277,488.4 m2 (148%) while the population also increased by 36.4% (1,685,894 to 2,298,923). Findings show that the continuous proliferation of built-up areas signifies urbanization within slums, presenting both redevelopment opportunities and environmental vulnerabilities. Further analysis reveals that between 1990-2030, there would have been an increase in population from 1,685,894 to 5,388,608 (220%) while built up areas would have also increased from 17,451,392.9 m2 to 69,054,640.07m2 (296%) this is due to several factors such as haphazard growth, capitalist investments, infrastructure focus and participatory limitations amongst other identified reasons. The study highlights the need for integrated urban regeneration, resilient infrastructure, sustainable housing policies, land banking to curb speculation, socioeconomic shifts through community-based economic programs, prioritizing environmental restoration and compact development, integrate smart urbanism principles in infrastructure projects and adaptive zoning regulations to balance modernization with environmental conservation. As Ibadan undergoes continuous transformation, these insights can help policymakers address socio-economic disparities, informal settlements, land fragmentation, and ecological degradation linked to slum transformation.
Keywords: Inner-City Slum; Spatial Transformation; Sustainable Urban Planning; Inclusive development; Urbanization
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© 2025 Adeniji et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
Published By Bangalore University, Bengaluru, Karnataka
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