EVALUATING THE FFECTIVENESS OF HOUSING ESTATES IN RESIDENTIAL HOUSING DEFICITS IN ENUGU URBAN (A STUDY OF ENUGU URBAN)

ABSTRACT Issues of housing delivery have generated much discussion and interest in the developing countries especially in, Nigeria. In most developing countries today, the provision of shelter is grossly inadequate despite several decades of direct government intervention in the shelter sector. Private Estate developers have also contributed in developing housing estates, to relieve the great pressure on housing problem. All with the focus of providing adequate and affordable shelter for all (the masses /urban poor). Adequate and affordable housing and infrastructure is in short supply in Nigeria while marginal success has been achieved form Governments’ various approaches at accelerating-housing provision. It. has been observed that the phenomenal rise in population, spontaneous increase in size of most Nigerian cities have hitherto led to acute shortage of decent and affordable dwellings. The practice of some private sectors involves acquiring land and developing large estates where the house are offered for sale .as "ready-to-move in units”. Several previous studies have focused on the role of government agencies (public sectors) in housing provision but/adequate attention has not been given to the role of private sector in housing provision. This paper examines the effectiveness of housing estates in addressing residential housing deficits in Enugu urban. It is recommended that private sector should encourage and support end-user driven initiatives in housing delivery through the use of cooperatives or organizations. They should also target the low and the middle income groups developed on both owner-occupied and recent basis so as to promote a vibrant housing market in the city. private sector partial.