Lagos
The biggest city in Nigeria
Welcome to Lagos!
The origin and history of Lagos:
Lagos was established as a Yoruba farming and fishing settlement in the XV century, it was ruled by the Yoruba until it was invaded by the kingdom of Benín (from the east of Lagos) and they funded a settlement which they called Eko.
The portuguese exploration of the african west coast at the end of the fifteenth century began a trade of spices, ivory and slaves, creating the need of establishing trading posts, one of these post was established by the conquistador Rui de Sequeira in 1472. The Portuguese explorers named it Lagos. During more than five centuries, Lagos was an important slave trade centre, until the arrival of the british in 1861, becoming an important british trading post in western africa. Subsequently, Lagos was incorporated into Nigeria's colony in 1900, becoming its capital as well.
Demographic size
between 21 and 24 millions inhabitants.
Lagos is a
megacity
Main languages: English and Yoruba ( and countless other african languages)
3000 people
migrate to Lagos every day
The urban layout is irregular
Due to the lack of organization and control of the city's layout
Urban morphology:
- The rapidly urban growth and the resulting modifications to the environment have significantly changed urban morphologies. Given the rapid growth of the Lagos metropolitan area and its restricted access to land, spontaneous and confused development patterns have resulted in unsustainable development with various consequences for the environment and its inhabitants.
- These have implications for urban carrying capacity, aesthetics, resources, and livability, and call for the formulation of policies and measures to plan and control development patterns.
Futile urbanisation:
- Depending on which area of Lagos we are thinking about, we could think there is a futile urbanization or not. For example, the most unique part of Lagos would be slums like Makoko, also called the "nigerian Venice" because of its canals.
- On the other hand, if we look at the wealthiest side, we see skyscrapers pretty similar to the ones we could see in Dubai or even Barcelona. In our opinion, the urbanalization is rather light in Lagos, it maintains its essence.
Green city:
- The mega city on the west coast of Africa is also one of the most densely populated cities on the planet, with an estimated 20 million people living on an area of less than 100 square kilometers and the result is a suffocating mix of air pollution, single-use plastic pollution and solid waste in the city's streets causing respiratory problems, floodings and other illnesses among the locals.
- The causes of the pollution are many, and the pollution has many effects on the environment. It is estimated that at least 30,000 people die every year in Lagos due to pollution.Lagos Green Award will recognize individuals, groups or businesses whose actions improved environmental resilience in the city of Lagos. Not only the air is polluted, but also the water in slums in the outskirts of the city .
