The paradox of livelihood strategies and urban landscape degradation in contested spaces: towards attaining a sustainable green City in Ado-Ekiti, Nigeria

Most environmental challenges confronting cities in developing countries emanate from the rapid rates of urbanization, population growth, and increasing space demand for human activities, overstretching land resources. In Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State capital in south-western Nigeria, people’s survival response culminated into encroachment on public spaces, resulting to socio-economic and environmental problems. Bare urban landscape lacking adequate open spaces and greenery heats up in the daytime, thereby making the environment uncomfortable for human activities. This paper examined the city’s spatial structure, public space characteristics, the causes and effects of encroachment. Findings established contestation of public spaces, excessive hard landscaping and depletion of greenery. Informal sector development, mostly commercial, was driven by ignorance, high poverty and inequality levels, and the people’s livelihood approach to sustain their socio-economic needs. The paradox is that while people make a living in the city, the landscape is degraded. There was majority support for greening as an environmental quality improvement tool. The people favoured the incorporation of socio-economic activities in green areas to boost economy, liveability and inclusiveness. The study developed a Strategic Urban Greening Model and the Greening and Spatial Regeneration Intervention Plan for desirable green products to reinvent Ado-Ekiti as a sustainable future African green city.