Spatial ordering of informal sector activities in African cities: perspectives and lessons from the development of informal sector in Nigeria

ABSTRACT

Informal Sector Activities (ISAs) dominate the economy in most African cities, and they continue to proliferate without consideration for environmental sustainability. This study analysed spatial ordering of ISAs in four Nigerian cities, selected for their differential urban forms and social practices. The study assessed the conformity of the spatial ordering of ISAs with industrial location principles, the implications of urban spatial form and government/policy makers’ awareness of environmental consequences of ISAs spatial ordering. The ISAs were identified, classified and sampled, and their GPS coordinates were used in mapping the ISAs on Landsat images in an ArcGIS environment. Findings show that the existing ISAs do not conform to locational principles. Poor governance and environmental awareness of policy/decision makers explains the poor spatial ordering of ISAs.

KEYWORDS:

• Spatial ordering
• informal sector activities
• GIS
• spatial theories
• environment

Acknowledgments

A debt of gratitude to our funding body, Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND) in Nigeria - National Research Fund Intervention, authors and all who assisted in the data collection towards the successful completion of this research. A big appreciation also goes to the anonymous reviewers for their helpful comments.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the National Research Fund Intervention, Nigeria [Tertiary Education Trust Fund Nigeria].