Spatial distribution and landuse planning of informal automobile workshops in Osogbo, Nigeria

Abstract

It is against the background of the increasing incidence and indiscriminate springing up of informal automobile workshops in virtually every open space in Nigerian cities that this study evaluates the spatial distribution of informal automobile workshops in Osogbo. This is with a view to identifying planning strategies for addressing the seemingly uncontrollable proliferation of informal workshops in the city. Global Positioning System was used to obtain coordinates of identified informal automobile workshops, while questionnaire administration to senior artisans was used to capture data pertaining to the activities and other related issues of their workshops. The study discovers that there is an average of 4 complementing units in each of the sixty-nine ‘visible’ workshops identified in the town. With First Order Nearest Neighbour Analysis index of 1.02, informal automobile workshops are randomly located in the town. Hence, informal automobile workshops can spring up beside, behind or within any form or type of land use along major road to distort the existing land use plan (if any). This is observed to be a great challenge for maintaining order in the city. The study therefore, recommends the establishment of mechanic complex, organization and formalization of automobile activity or land use as well as enforcement of development control, among others.Keywords: Spatial distribution; Informal Sector; Land use