The place of informality and illegality in planning education in Nigeria

Abstract

This paper discusses the extent to which topical planning issues of informality and illegality are incorporated into the educational curricula in Nigerian planning schools. Given the scale and enormity of informal and illegal settlements in Nigeria and other African cities, these issues should be emphasized in the education and training of planning professionals. Yet, few curricula in Nigerian planning schools, including the Nigerian Town Planners Registration Council’s professional curriculum, incorporate informal urban issues. The paper recommends an educational interventionist approach based on recognition of the potential of indigenous knowledge as a means of producing critical and reflective planning graduates who possess the competencies to deal with contemporary settlement challenges. It presents the institutional landscape for planning education and the processes of planning curricular reform and accreditation with a view to revitalizing planning education in Nigeria.

Keywords:

• Informality
• planning education
• curricula
• indigenous knowledge
• Nigeria

Acknowledgement

The authors acknowledge the travel support from the secretariat of the Association of African Planning Schools (AAPS) to the workshop on planning education held in October 2010 in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, where an earlier version of this article was first presented.