Urban Residential Satisfaction and the Planning Implications in a Developing World Context: The Example of Benin City,Nigeria

As urban expansion continues into the 21st century, one of the daunting challenges facing many developing countries is the planning and the management of cities in such a way as to meet a planning reformist role of promoting equitable, efficient and sustainable urban settlements. In the face of mounting criticisms of technocratic top-down approaches to housing and infrastructure development, there is a need for studies on the interface of satisfaction assessments and planning on the one hand and the social and cultural implications for urban management on the other. This is particularly so in the context of developing cities that are often characterized by dwindling public finances, urban poverty, spatial variations in housing and services, and poor socioeconomic conditions, as well as top-down approaches to urban management. A systematic spatial assessment of urban satisfaction is presented using Benin, a traditional West African city, as a case study. The significance of the satisfaction approach for planning, social and equity concerns is identified, and it is argued that we should look beyond it and incorporate community participatory approaches in the urban development process.