ABSTRACT
The research examines housing and environmental features of selected slums in Benin City, Edo State. It provides evaluation into the housing characteristics of the area as well as the environmental condition and social vices that are prevalent in the slum area. Basically, the research adopted a survey research method in which questionnaires were sampled to elicit information regarding perceived view of the people that live in the slum area.
The research objectives were articulated to meet the state aim of the research work. The objectives were as follow: examine the socio-economic and housing characteristics of the slum area: examine conditions and structural characteristics of the houses in the study area; find out the environmental condition of the housing in the slum area.
The social-demographic profile of the respondents revealed that people that dwell in slum area of the city cut across diverse age group, social-economic characteristics, and of which larger percentage were married with children having an average of 3-4 children. It was also on the know that these slum dwellers support a household of 4-6 persons which in most cases happened to be extended member of the family. The condition of the housing was revealed to be in need of constant repairs as either the floor, roof, wall, or ceiling of the houses in the area seem to be having one challenge or the other. On the aspect of the environment, the study assessed the flood condition of the area to be moderate coupled with the state of insecurity in the area. The noise effect of the environment as well as the level of waste disposal were equally considered to be moderate.
However, testing the hypothesis, using Kendall coefficient of concordance, the test result showed that there was agreement on social vices that are prevalent in the neighborhood, of which burglary was rated high followed by cases of prostitution. Malaria sickness was also ascertained by majority of the respondents to be the most common health challenge the people are faced with in the area if study. Thus, the problem of malaria is often due to the poor environmental condition of the area. In order to improve housing and environmental condition selective rehabilitation was advocated by the respondents. A situation were houses that do not meet certain standard deem fit for healthy living are pull down and rebuild to meet the acceptable standard proffered by the government.
In conclusion, it would suffice to say that the condition of housing helps to determine healthy living of the individual that lives within the confines of the environment.
