Aspects of the population geography of the western area, Sierra Leone

This thesis is largely based on data edited from original field sheets of the survey of sample households in the Western Area, It provides a description of the structure and distribution of selected population characteristics, an explanation of the patterns observed and an identification of population types and areas using principal components analysis. In a brief original historical analysis, the population living within what is now the Western Area prior to the establishment of the 1787 settlement, is estimated to be about 3,000 persons. According to the 1963 census, 195,023 persons lived-in the area. The review of population growth in the 19th and 20th centuries and the urbanization experienced emphasises the significant role played by immigration in population growth and in an understanding of compositional features. The relationship between migration and population characteristics is hypothesised and the discussion of the different characteristics indicates that: (1) Age and sex compositions are sensitive to migration but, sex ratio is shown to be a stronger indicator of migratory tendencies shown by various population groups than age structure (2) The marital status and the family and household compositions are characteristics based on cultural and traditional practices which only slowly respond to modernising influences. There is some limited evidence of a more traditional attitude to marriage and household composition in the rural communities than in the urban. (3) Industrial and occupational structures are largely an outcome of the acquired traits of the population and there is a clustering of persons with particular traits in areas where they can best exploit them. Consequently, urban areas attract the educated, the technically skilled and the professionals. In contrast, the predominance of agriculture in rural areas means that the rural population is largely without a formal education. The effect of the differences in the nature of economic activities and skills is reflected in differences in levels of income by industry, occupation, ethnic or tribal group and by residential area. Four clustering’s of different unit areas, demarcated for the the analysis of data, are identified by the use of principal components analysis. First, Freetown and its immediate environs clustered on the ‘urban’ component to which a high population density, a high proportion of the working population in the professions and nearness to the seat of government (Tower Hill), were strongly contributing parameters. Second, was a cluster identified as a second zone of urbanization and made up of areas adjacent to the urban cluster (Lumley, Mountain district, Wellington) and also containg large centres at a distance from Freetown (Hastings and Waterloo Villages), This second cluster retained some features of the urban component whilst having additional features that are more clearly defined in the third group. The Macdonald group of villages in Waterloo district and Koya district clustered on the "rural' component with high activity rate, high proportion of the sample married and a high dependency ratio contributing strongly. Finally, York and Mountain district together form the fourth cluster In which the high sex ratio and a high proportion of one-person households are the main contributing parameters

Analysis of Spatial Types and Social Space in Ile-Ife Domestic Architecture

This paper focuses on the diachronic development of spatial morphologies in Yoruba domestic architecture (SW Nigeria) and the social rules implicit in domestic space use, utilizing data about the households, and activity and object locations. The results presented revolve around how activities (and objects) ‘spill over’ designated boundaries within the domestic space, the impact of activities and objects on the specialized or non-specialized use of space, and the intensity of focus on each space label as the conventional location for activities and objects. Six spatial types were identified, and a ‘core’ set of function/space labels was found in each type, although these have ‘expanded’ in the newer types, partly in response to new connotations of privacy. Many activities and objects were consistently shown to have flexible boundaries, thereby having an effect on space specialization. Newer geometric types were characterized by slightly increased specialized use of certain space labels (although the prevalent pattern was non-specialization), and a modest reduction in the degree of extensibility, and intensity of focus. The study demonstrated that there are stronger points of continuity than difference between the spatial types

The next child: spacing strategy in Yorubaland (with translations from taped interviews)

The translations of taped interviews with Yoruba parents in two\u27 sub-ethnic groups, the lkale and the Ekiti, are the substance of this Working Paper. Very rarely do the views expressed at the field level survive into research reports, much less reach the demographer, concerned as he or she is ultimately with aggregated analysis. Very rarely, too, does the opportunity arise for parents involved in demographic surveys to \u27.have en input into the development of survey concepts. They are usually faced with readymade conceptualization, definition and operationalization of phenomena closely related to their lives, and asked to respond within these limits. The convention of pre-testing questionnaires, embodying those pre-determined concepts, helps up to the point of identifying inappropriate concepts, but not those that may be most germane

The Orowa House:A Typology of Traditional Yoruba Architecture in Ile-Ife,Nigeria

Beyond generic descriptions of Nigerian traditional architecture as ‘adobe walls, domes, courtyards and overhanging hipped roofs’, or in response to the oft-posed question: What exactly is Indigenous Nigerian Architecture? This paper presents a spatial typology from Ile-Ife town core area. The study identified the distinctive features of the traditional Ile-Ife Orowa House; key function spaces e.g. the Orowa (central hall), a comprehensive pattern of space use in the dwelling, the organizational (spatial) criteria, and morphological characteristics using Hillier and Hanson (1984) Space Syntax methods. Key spatial relationships between the core functional spaces in the Orowa house that define its morphology were identified, which extend beyond the descriptive studies of Yoruba traditional domestic architecture more regularly found in existing literature. The use of space syntax allowed for measurable analyses of the twenty-four houses surveyed, and contributes to the documentation of traditional dwellings in Nigeria. While differences in space use pattern exist between the Orowa house and contemporary houses found in the larger sample from which this paper is derived, some space use patterns persist in both; indicative of a ‘Nigerian’ or at least a Yoruba way of living that survives in newer architectural form

Using the Home for Income Generation:-Home Based Enterprises and Implications for Housing Policy in Nigeria

Several housing types were surveyed in Osun and Ogun States, South West Nigeria, in two studies focusing on housing design and domestic space use. These types- public and private sector housing (multiple and single household dwellings) - provided real opportunities to investigate the prevalence of the use of dwellings for commercial activities. The results of the analysis of 612 households showed that despite differences in the educational and cultural ‘capital’ that generally result in distinct differences in domestic practices, the use of the domestic dwelling for small scale commercial and business activities remains a prevailing component of Yoruba housing. This was most prominent in dwellings occupied by low and average income residents. The findings suggest the need for architects/designers, planners and policy makers to focus on its implications for housing policies and architectural and urban design solutions; particularly in relation to housing schemes aimed at lower income earners. Consequently, this paper proposes policy options and design solutions that accommodate home based enterprises within the domestic domai

Consonance between lifestyle and spatial patterns in Yoruba domestic architecture.

The thesis focuses on how well suited lifestyle patterns are to different spatial types currently existing in the domestic architecture of the Yoruba people of South Western Nigeria, and on meanings underlying space use, in traditional and contemporary housing. Changes in Yoruba domestic architecture are quite marked, with contemporary residences gaining new uses and losing others, due to the development of new buildings for some previously domestic activities. The contemporary condition, which is the main thrust of the research, is also typified by changes in income levels, family structure and education in post-colonial Nigeria. Although some studies have addressed these changes, the actual influence of traditional housing on new housing layouts is little researched. The hypothesis is that social changes will be manifested in transformations of the configuration of interior spaces and of space use with consequent spatial patterning that is a modification of the new within the existing. The analysis of activity and object locations proved valuable in unpacking social meanings embedded in the domestic space. A number of households were studied in four residential areas of Ile-Ife, each representative of distinct socio-economic groups and construction periods, using structured interviews, and analysis of the floor plans. The results revealed a core set of space labels specific to each spatial type, expressed in old spatial types that are absent from the new areas, in the new spatial types absent from older areas, and in the enduring spatial types found in all the areas. There was a strong correlation between house types and lifestyles, manifested via variations in income and education, and most obvious in differences in space use in the traditional orowa (central hall), and the kitchens and living rooms of new house types. Satisfaction with the domestic space was shaped by respondents' ideals, which were related to socio-economic factors. The study demonstrated a link between lifestyle and space use, and the effect of ideals on how the domestic space is perceived

Delivering Affordable Dwellings for Key Workers: The Shared-Ownership Option in Sub-Saharan Africa

Achieving „value for money‟ is a main concern on housing construction projects particularly for average income earners employed in key sectors such as the police force, education, and healthcare. This paper reviews a yet uncommon way of delivering dwelling units for this category of „Key workers’. The scheme-Shared-Ownership- allows the end user to engage in a staged (gradual) process of ownership (Stair-casing), and has proved to be a viable option for providing housing units in the United Kingdom mainly via housing associations. The scheme can be a viable option in the urban African affordable housing market, with a main proviso; that its adaptation must be compatible with the operation of small scale property developers. Its success rests on the premises that a) Governments motivate financing institutions to develop mortgages more suited to the financial capability of this range of salaried workers and b) Maintenance programmes via the use of service charges are incorporated into the legal documentation for the sale/rental of such units. This paper argues that the shared-ownership model has real potential and can be suitably adapted to various scales of housing developers, and significantly, facilitates a gradual ownership proces

Serial marriages and AIDS in Masaka District

In the process of studying the functioning of households under the conditions of the AIDS epidemic in the districts of Masaka, Kabarole and Rukungiri, information was collected on the marital history of persons aged 12 years and above who had ever been involved in a regular union or marriage. That information allows the discussion of the pattern of marital mobility and the exploration of the possible links between serial marriages and the dynamics of the current epidemic. Serial marriages can be defined as the participation in a sequence of regular partnerships or unions. By this definition, males in polygamous unions are involved in the practice of serial marriages in that they go through the formation of regular unions more than once in their lifetime and are often involved in more than one such union at a time. In the case of females, serial marriage takes the form of transition from first to second and subsequent unions within a monogamous or polygamous framework. This paper describes the pattern of these serial marriages, the causes of the dissolution of unions, and the relationship between the observed patterns and selected social and demographic factors such as sex, residence, education and the household-level experience of a previous HIV/AIDS related illness or death. Particular attention is paid to the role of death of spouse and especially of death from AIDS in the dissolution of unions. Apart from the use of basic descriptive statistics, a hierarchical log linear regression is carried out and the tests of partial association between the fact of serial marriage and selected variables are presented

HOME-BASED ENTERPRISES: IMPLICATIONS FOR HOUSING AND URBAN PLANNING IN NIGERIA

There is increasing recognition of the role home-based enterprises (HBEs) play in the socioeconomic development of cities in developing countries. However, there appears to be a limited understanding of how housing designers and urban planners can provide support for HBEs in developing countries to help ensure their survival. Data derived from two separate surveys of 160 and 517 households in the urban areas of the states of Osun and Ogun, Nigeria, were used to examine the prevalence of HBEs and how housing providers and urban planners can respond to urban residents’ need for HBEs. The findings show that, despite the differences in educational and cultural capital that generally result in distinct differences in domestic practices, the use of domestic dwellings for small-scale commercial activities remains a prevailing component of housing in the study area. The HBEs in this study were predominantly small-scale retail businesses found in dwellings occupied by mostly low- and average-income households. The study explored the implications of HBEs for housing and urban planning and concluded that an integrated approach involving the use of design and planning strategies by housing designers and urban planners is needed to integrate HBEs with domestic spaces while mitigating their potential negative effects on the environment, economy, and societ

Innovations in the teaching of architectural studio: The covenant experience

Architectural design is the process through which the architect attempts to capture his thoughts and present it in a form that others can see. There are basically two methods of architectural design, namely the black box and the glass box methods. While the black box method is mainly intuitive, the glass box employs logically derived data for design. Various schools of architecture adopt either of these methods in training their students. This paper reports on the outcome of a home-grown combination of both methods adopted in the teaching of architectural design to second year architectural students in a private university in Nigeria. Data has been collected over a period of four years from the students involved through questionnaires and interviews. This has been complimented by discussions with the tutors involved. Results indicate that this innovative method provides a strong theoretical and analytical background for the students design projects while opening them opportunities to explore their creative potentials. The major challenges, however, are that the process is more demanding on the part of both the students and tutors and requires more contact hours between both paper