*Perspective Chapter: Imperative of Nigerian Demographics for Green Housing DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.108794*

ways. First is the requirement for location and transportation. This requirement ensures ease of movement and unhindered access to public infrastructures to reduce carbon emission through vehicular movement. The buildings are close proximity to public infrastructures and facilities [12]. Poor transportation system, infrastructural deficit is a major driver of rural-urban migration. The rural areas are neglected with poor infrastructure and no enforcement of building regulations. The rural dwellers are unsatisfied. Housing intervention program are targeted at the urban centers leaving the less developed towns, cities and villages poorer and less desirable for dwelling. It is very expensive and disturbing for those in the rural areas, towns and cities to access facilities outside their immediate environment. This include good hospitals, schools, market and other social infrastructures. Developers want good return on their investments; hence there is need for government policy drafted to developing quality housing that meets the need of the younger population. Improve the development of the rural areas, redistribute construction economic resources and minimize the pressure for housing development in the urban centers. If the younger population are assured of adequate affordable housing, with the advent of internet services, rural urban migration will be minimized.

The second aspect is sustainable site. This requirement aims to minimize urban sprawl and needless destruction of valuable land, habitat and green space. It discourages inefficient low-density development, encourages higher density urban development, urban re-development and urban renewal, and brownfield development as a means to preserve valuable green space. The future housing provision should preserve key environmental assets through careful examination of each site. It should engage a design and construction process that minimizes site disturbance, values, preserves and actually restores or regenerates valuable habitat, green space and associated eco-systems that are vital to sustaining life [10]. Minimal effort is required for to achieve this requirement in the southern part of the country being a rain forest zone. Contrastingly, the northern part of the country is ravaged by deforestation. Unfortunately, as well, the eastern part suffers lots of land degradation form gully erosion. The land use Act currently in force in Nigeria also poses a challenge to the attainment of this requirement as it hampers access to land. The difficulty in the processing of land titles, certificate of occupancies and related documents are contributory factors to the development of urban sprawls [28–30].

Urban centers like Lagos, Nigeria are over developed. The need for more sites for housing development created the Eko-Atlantic City. Many highbrow housing areas in Lagos were sand filled and reclaimed from the Atlantic Ocean to provide more land for housing development. The incidence of slums, indiscriminate waste disposal with attendant pollution is on the rise as more people desire to live in the urban centers. Urban centers are better regulated with better layouts and improved access to social and economic facilities. However, re-development and urban renewal activities including brownfield development are at its lowest ebb. The geometric growth of the urban centers generates slums and shanties as building development spills unconsciously to adjourning rural communities without adequate provision or government presence.

New buildings are hardly developed in the rural areas due to the lack of interest of the younger generation to stay back while existing ones are left to dilapidate. The principle of sustainable site if incorporated into housing development policy in Nigeria will ensure that future housing is developed to cater for not only the urban dwellers but the rural dwellers also. The provision of modern and affordable housing units in the rural areas will minimize the incidence of urban sprawl and shanties due to lack of reasonable development in the rural areas.
