An Assessment of Residential Quality of Life in the Indigenous Enclaves in Port Harcourt

Abstract

This study has assessed urban residential quality of life in two indigenous enclaves now being absorbed into the urban fabric in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria. The study set out to ascertain residents’ perception of neighbourhood attributes, residential quality of life as a whole and the variables considered by residents to be the most important to enhance residential quality of life. In the study, neighbourhood attributes were studied in situ without experimental manipulation and at one period in time, i.e. the study adopted a passive-observational research design. The study utilized both secondary and primary data sources. The latter included face-to-face administration of a largely pre-coded household questionnaire to a probability sample of 170 respondents, drawn from the two neighbourhoods. Data analysis was based on responses from 170 questionnaire retrieved and the univariate analytical method was adopted. The study found, among others, that garbage existed on the streets and neighbourhoods, there was no street lighting in virtually all the neighbourhoods, periodic flooding occur in all the neighbourhoods, some of the roads and streets were well maintained, each of the 2 neighbourhoods had at least one public primary school, and good housing, provision of basic residential amenities, and improved sanitation were some of the most important variables, in the opinion of residents, contributing to the improvement of perceived residential quality of life. The study further revealed that 26.5% of the residents in the two neighbourhoods were unhappy with their residential quality of life and 82.9% of the residents perceived their neighbourhoods  to be of medium quality.  A key conclusion of the study was that the improvement of neighbourhood residential conditions as perceived by the residents was important in raising residential quality of life, and recommendations included that in the provision of public infrastructure and services , the perceptions and preferences of the beneficiaries/target population must be seriously taken into account to achieve user satisfaction.

Keywords: Quality of Life,  residents perception, dwelling unit, neighbourhood