How To Fix Housing In Lagos: Bridging Affordability With Mixed-Income Housing.

Lagos is a city of contrasts. On one hand, it’s an economic hub, a land of opportunities, and a dream destination for many in Nigeria and across Africa. On the other, it’s a sprawled city grappling with a severe housing crisis that grows worse with each passing year. 

Take an aerial view of Lagos (not Ikoyi, Lagos Mainland or V.I.) and you'll notice how it's 50% slum (informal settlement) and 50% expensive high-density sprawl. No in-betweens.

For the average middle/low-income earner in Lagos, the dream of owning a home—or even renting a decent space—remains painfully out of reach. The pressing question is: how do we fix this?

The answer might lie in the idea of mixed-income housing, a model that has transformed some of the world’s most livable cities. But to understand why this is crucial, we need to take a closer look at the challenges and what the future holds for Lagos if these issues remain unaddressed.

The Crisis: Housing That Excludes Most

Lagos is home to over 20 million residents, and this number is expected to grow exponentially, with Africa’s population projected to double by 2050. With limited infrastructure and finite land, the city’s current trajectory is unsustainable. In neighbourhoods like Ikoyi, Victoria Island, and Lekki, housing prices are astronomical. A three-bedroom apartment in these areas can cost up to ₦150 million (approximately $100,000 in 2024), a figure that effectively excludes all but the wealthiest residents.

For most Lagosians—who fall into the middle- or low-income brackets—the choices are grim: either move to neglected settlements lacking basic amenities or face the constant threat of displacement in areas undergoing gentrification.

The result? A city increasingly divided along income lines, with poverty concentrated in informal settlements and wealth cloistered in sprawling exclusive neighbourhoods. Without intervention, this social segregation will only deepen, leaving a growing number of residents without access to decent housing.

What Really Makes Housing Unaffordable in Lagos

1. Speculative Land Sales and Prices: The speculative purchase of land has driven up prices, making land acquisition for housing unaffordable for low- and middle-income earners. Undeveloped land is held for profit, pushing housing prices higher.
2. Exclusionary Development Models: Current housing projects, often driven by profit-oriented private developers, cater predominantly to high-income earners. This results in a lack of affordable options for low- and middle-income groups.
3. Inadequate Urban Policies: Existing urban development policies are not inclusive, failing to address the specific needs of low-income communities. This includes restrictive zoning laws and large minimum plot sizes (which the PetitHaus co-ownership model solves), which are unsuitable for smaller, low-cost housing developments.
4. Insufficient Public-Private Partnerships: Current Public-Private Partnership models rarely prioritise affordability for low-income groups, with units priced beyond the reach of most residents.
5. Lack of Infrastructure: Many affordable housing areas lack essential infrastructure, such as schools, clinics, and transport networks, making them less viable living options.
6. Social Segregation: Housing policies have reinforced class divides, with wealthy enclaves juxtaposed against underdeveloped, low-income areas. This gentrification threatens social cohesion.

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How to Fix Housing: Putting The Horse Before The Cart.

Making housing affordable or fixing housing in Lagos is not just about building homes; it’s (most importantly) about reshaping the city to improve the environment, promote healthier lifestyles, and foster community. With the urban population set to double in the coming decades, addressing city planning in a way that makes life livable, prevents social/economic isolation and combats climate change is crucial. 

Here’s how Lagos can lead the way, combining inclusivity with sustainable city planning. A complementary set of actions/strategies that work together towards achieving “The Lagos We Want”:

1. Adopting Smart/Living Urban Planning.

The design of our cities directly impacts the quality of life, environmental sustainability, and social connections. In Lagos, the focus should be on creating a city that can adjust, adapt, and evolve to meet its residents' demands. This can be achieved by focusing on:

• Community Focus: Mixed-income neighbourhoods that blend different income levels and age groups promote social cohesion, economic vitality, and a sense of shared community.
• Preventing Sprawl: Sprawl, whether low or high-density, isolates communities, increases commuting distances, and eliminates social interaction. Lagos must avoid such patterns by encouraging inclusive urban spaces.
• Green Spaces: Preserving natural areas and integrating green spaces into urban neighbourhoods can make Lagos more livable, reduce heat, and enhance biodiversity.
• Improving Climate Action: Housing solutions must address climate challenges by incorporating green building technologies and reducing reliance on car-centric development.

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2. Transit-Oriented Development

By prioritizing transit over cars, Lagos can improve mobility, reduce congestion, and create healthier, more connected communities. Streets can prioritize pedestrians and cyclists. Allocating more street space for car-free zones fosters better mobility and reduces air pollution.

• Increased Investment in Mass Transit: Increased funding for reliable public transport like buses, BRT, and trains will help reduce car dependency. Ensuring these systems connect to housing developments will improve accessibility for all income groups.
• Active Transport: Designing walkable and bike-friendly neighbourhoods is essential. Sidewalks, bike lanes, and local amenities must be accessible to promote non-motorized transport.
• Cycling Revolution: “A tall order”, but providing dedicated cycling lane infrastructure can make biking more appealing and safer. This has the potential to transform Lagos into a city where cycling is a norm rather than an exception.

3. Compact Development

Streamlining income to land use by creating and encouraging the development of compact, mixed-use, mixed-income neighbourhoods. This approach will transform Lagos into a model of sustainable urban living.

• Mixed-Use (Bridging Land Use): Recreating urban zoning into combining residential, commercial, and recreational spaces that reduce land consumption, cut commuting times, and lower emissions. These neighbourhoods will encourage people to live, work, and socialize without excessive travel.
• Mixed-Income (Affordable Housing within Reach): With proper zoning and incentives, compact developments can include diverse housing options, making homeownership attainable for low- and middle-income families.

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Leveraging Mixed-Income Housing For Maximum Impact

What if the rich and poor could live together in the same neighbourhood, sharing access to quality infrastructure and amenities? This is the essence of mixed-income housing. Housing planned and developed for people of different income levels to coexist in vibrant, equitable communities.

By bridging the gap between the rich and ‘NOT’ rich, we can transform Lagos into a city where everyone—regardless of income—can access decent living conditions. This is possible with Mixed-income housing. A tested model for a more equitable and sustainable city that will help us:

• Reduce the housing deficit.
• Promote social integration.
• Enhance economic productivity by reducing commute times and improving access to opportunities.

We have explored the Houthaves in a recent post, but a look into Vienna’s mixed-income housing policies shows that it has been consistently ranked among the world’s most livable cities. These cities achieved this by prioritizing inclusivity and sustainability. 

How to Make Mixed-Income Housing Work For Lagos.

1. Policy Interventions and Incentives for Developerssome text
   • Implement mandatory allocations of affordable housing units.
   • Implement strict control measures on undeveloped land to discourage speculative landholding and reduce inflated property prices.
   • Introduce rent controls to maintain affordability in mixed-income housing developments.
   • Provide land subsidies, tax benefits, and access to low-interest loans to incentivize developers while ensuring affordability.
     
     
2. Strengthening Collaboration and Supporting Infrastructuresome text
   • Foster collaboration between the government, private developers, and civil society organizations to prioritize affordability.
   • Partner with cooperatives and trade associations to allocate affordable units and ensure equitable distribution.
   • Include essential amenities like schools, clinics, and markets within a 1km radius of developments, and ensure public transport access within 500 meters.
   • Engage civil society organizations in advocacy and technical support to enhance policy implementation and oversight.
     
     
3. Community-Centered Design and Social Inclusivitysome text
   • Design mixed-income developments with mid-rise, medium-density housing to optimize land use while maintaining cohesion.
   • Ensure affordable units are indistinguishable from market-rate homes to promote social integration.
   • Incorporate green spaces, bike lanes, and shared facilities like playgrounds and communal areas to enhance sustainability and livability.
   • Prioritize (& protect) vulnerable groups, including single mothers, widows, and people with disabilities, in housing allocation schemes.
   • Use local labour and materials to create economic opportunities within communities and ensure developments align with local needs.

The aim of mixed-income housing isn't just about affordable housing, but to foster socially inclusive, economically vibrant, and safer cities. Lagos can also adapt these various lessons to its unique challenges.

The Housing Crisis is NOT Insurmountable!!!

As a city, Lagos faces immense challenges—but also immense opportunities. The housing crisis is not insurmountable. With bold policies, collaborative efforts, and a commitment to inclusivity, Lagos can chart a new path—one where every hardworking resident has a place to call home.

Through these targeted steps, Lagos can mitigate its housing deficit and foster inclusive, sustainable urban living for all its residents.

However, change doesn’t happen in a vacuum. 

To achieve these goals, Lagos needs robust policies and partnerships that bring together individuals, developers, city planners, corporate society and public communities. Civil society, the private sector, and everyday Lagosians must come together to advocate for a new way to do things. Whether by calling for transformative legislation, influencing local responsibility or creating social awareness of these issues.

Mixed-income housing isn’t just about building homes; it’s about creating a city where everyone, regardless of income, can thrive in a sustainable, inclusive environment. It starts with us...You can join us too.

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