Urban Environmental Landscaping: A Strategy for Improving the Environmental Quality of Nigerian Cities

Abstract

The objective of physical planning is to transform the developable and developed surfaces of a settlement into a healthy and functional environment for its residents. Landscaping is the tool for urban improvement which aims at enhancing the beauty and aesthetic quality of the environment, for the use of man. This paper focuses on the importance of landscaping for an improved urban environmental quality in an era of rapid urbanization in Nigeria. While acknowledging the fact that a greater percentage of the Nigerian urban environment is in very deplorable conditions the writer highlights the advantages of landscaping as a strategy for improving the environmental quality of our cities. The study revealed a gross neglect of urban landscaping in Nigeria. Policy recommendations geared towards effective landscaping of the urban environment for improved physical development were made.

Keywords: Urban Environmental Landscaping, Strategy for Improving the Environmental Quality, Nigerian Cities