A Framework for Promoting Socio-Economic Factors to Achieve Sustainable Mass Housing in Abuja, Nigeria.

The realm of sustainable architecture has gained considerable attention due to its potential to harmonise the built environment with ecological, social, and economic needs. Within this discourse, the social and economic dimensions of architecture particularly in the context of mass housing development play a critical role in shaping sustainability outcomes. In rapidly urbanising cities in the Global South, however, sustainable housing is often approached through narrow technical or policy-driven frameworks, with limited attention given to socio-economic realities and residents lived experiences. This doctoral study addresses this gap by examining the interplay between socio-economic factors and sustainable architectural practices in mass housing developments in Abuja, Nigeria. Employing a Constructivist Grounded Theory approach, this research explores the underlying narratives that shape how sustainable housing is conceived, delivered, and experienced in low-income mass housing contexts. Grounded Theory provides an inductive and iterative framework through which complex relationships between socio-economic conditions, governance structures, housing design, and everyday use can be systematically examined. Through constant comparison and theoretical sampling, the study generates empirically grounded insights that illuminate how sustainability is negotiated in practice rather than assumed through predefined standards. The research is anchored in qualitative empirical data collected through questionnaires administered to residents, in-depth interviews with key housing stakeholders and field observations with a particular focus on the Lugbe Federal Housing Authority Estate, a satellite town on the periphery of Abuja. Findings demonstrate that socio-economic conditions including affordability constraints, access to infrastructure, tenure insecurity, and governance limitations significantly influence housing satisfaction, adaptation practices, and long-term sustainability outcomes. The study reveals persistent disconnections between housing policy intentions and lived realities, highlighting how residents actively negotiate and modify their housing environments in response to structural and institutional constraints. The contributions of this study are threefold. First, it advances sustainable housing discourse by foregrounding socio-economic and lived-experience dimensions that are frequently marginalised in architectural research. Second, it extends the application of Grounded Theory within architecture and built environment research in Nigeria, addressing a notable methodological gap. Third, it offers a context-sensitive theoretical framework for understanding sustainable low-income mass housing in satellite towns. Ultimately, this research provides architects, planners, policymakers, and housing institutions with critical insights into how sustainable mass housing can be more effectively aligned with the socio-economic realities of rapidly urbanising cities such as Abuja.

Name dc:type.qualificationname

PhD

Level dc:type.qualificationlevel

Doctoral

Grantor dc:publisher.institution

De Montfort University

Year dc:date.issued

2024

Author dc:creator

• Mohammed, Zainab

Licence

• https://dora.dmu.ac.uk/bitstreams/d2316e2d-323c-4681-972f-3fd9369c9366/download