Influence of green infrastructure on sense of community in residents of Lagos Metropolis, Nigeria

ABSTRACT

Although urban green infrastructure (GI) and sense of community provide several benefits to residents, the relationship between them seems not to be unclear, especially in the context of densely populated urban settlements in the developing countries. This study investigated the influence of GI on sense of community amongst residents in selected neighborhoods in Lagos Metropolis, Nigeria. A multi-stage sampling technique was used to select 1,560 residents who participated in a questionnaire survey conducted in the study area. The results of the descriptive statistics and categorical regression analysis reveal that although the residents rated the existing stock of GI to be of poor quality, they perceived GI as having a positive influence on the development and sustenance of sense of community in the neighborhoods. The rate of loss of green areas, access to recreational parks, and proximity of green areas to the residents emerged as the top three aspects of GI with the most significant influence on sense of community in the residents. This implies that to enhance the contribution of GI in promoting sense of community in urban residents, these aspects of GI should be given adequate attention in Nigeria and other developing countries.

KEYWORDS:

• Green infrastructure
• Lagos
• sense of community
• survey
• urban neighborhoods

Declaration of interest statement

The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.