CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

Sustainability is a fairly broad definition that includes both material and immaterial aspects of humankind. But in order to fully comprehend it, we have divided it into the following categories. Regional and metropolitan level

1. In order to ensure that future generations will be able to meet their needs, current humans must limit their encroachments on the natural environment and consumption of non-renewable natural resources. Planning for a sustainable urban development must be oriented towards long-term goals and utilize knowledge about the environmental consequences of different solutions. Reduced material consumption must go hand in hand with increased material consumption in developing nations, which may be required to address the needs of the poor.

• A sustainable urban design framework that identifies the city's areas that should be preserved, improved, or created will be crucial for maintaining the region's character.

• To limit energy use, decrease pollution, and conserve natural areas, a sustainable urban development would need much more ambitious policies than those in place now. Reusing urban areas and making better use of development sites are two viable approaches. Urban shape is occasionally put under pressure by the idea of having multifunctional urban centers in order to have a balanced economic standing. Hence, it must be handled delicately without generalizing the laws that support mixed land uses.

2. City scale: The industrial metropolis of the late nineteenth century also gave rise to visionary regional planning ideologies that can be viewed as prefiguring modern methods of sustainability planning. The comprehensive perspective on the urban area offered by Patrick Geddes, which is based on practical experience and scientific technique, meshes well with the multidisciplinary nature of modern sustainability initiatives. In Peter Calthorpe's recent New Urbanist regional planning (1993, 122ff.) and in the visions of other transit-oriented development advocates for sustainability in the city, Ebenezer Howard's Garden City ideal offers a specific model of metropolitan development—a constellation of linked, transit-oriented communities separated by greenbelts. So, the approaches listed below can be used to create sustainable urban expansion at the city level:

1. A sustainable expansion structure that prioritizes transit: The typical location of TOD developments, or transit-oriented development, is directly above a single- or multi-modal transport station.

• TAD-Transit Adjacent Development projects are situated on land adjacent to transit terminals, but not above them. The projects in the TED-Transit Environment district are situated within half a mile of a light rail station and within a quarter mile of a bus stop.

2. To create more healthy, livable spaces, open spaces must be preserved, improved, connected to sensitive ecosystems, and used to the fullest extent possible for social interactions and building.

3. New sustainable urban form concepts that offer more clarity on the following topics:

a. street hierarchy;

b. open space network;

c. physical urban form with respect to the site dimensions and its surroundings;

d. catalyst projects/opportunity sites; and

e. 3D expression of desired urban form.

3. Neighborhood level Sustainable development is defined as development that satisfies current demands without jeopardizing the requirements of future generations in order to satisfy current needs. (1987, Brundtland Report; WCOED). Since sustainable usage only applies to renewable resources, it involves enhancing human well-being while preserving the ecosystem's carrying capacity.

3. New sustainable urban form concepts that offer more clarity on the following topics:

a. street hierarchy;

b. open space network;

c. physical urban form with respect to the site dimensions and its surroundings;

d. catalyst projects/opportunity sites; and

e. 3D expression of desired urban form.

3. Neighborhood level Sustainable development is defined as development that satisfies current demands without jeopardizing the requirements of future generations in order to satisfy current needs. (1987, Brundtland Report; WCOED). Since sustainable usage only applies to renewable resources, it involves enhancing human well-being while preserving the ecosystem's carrying capacity. Building mass, which is determined by land use, F.A.R. floor area ratio, setbacks, and ground coverage, plays a significant role in enhancing the public realm and the standard of offering streets and open spaces. Moreover, the orientation and climatically responsive architecture improves human health by increasing energy and material efficiency, as well as social liveliness at the pedestrian scale.

1.2 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

Infrastructure development and new building construction are both becoming more and more necessary as the world's urban population rises. A big problem, however, is the retrofit of the existing inefficient urban building stock. To better address the socioenvironmental, technological, and economic difficulties of major transitions in a systemic manner, it is necessary to expand knowledge, create new governance structures, and develop support systems. Better instruction, professional BE engagement, and collaboration are required in that setting. There is still a long way to go from the promotion of building and neighborhood sustainability assessment (BSA/NSA) tools or rating schemes to group efforts to take a position and take effective action in response to the climate and biodiversity crises, as "Built Environment Declares".

1.3 AIM AND OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

The study seeks to determine the role of laws and regulations in fostering a sustainable built environment in Lagos. The objectives of the study are:

1. to determine the types of laws and regulations adopted for a sustainable built environment in Lagos State
2. to determine the benefits of laws and regulations in fostering a sustainable built environment in Lagos
3. to identify the factors affecting the laws and regulations governing environmental sustainability in Lagos State
4. to recommend ways to improve laws and regulations in fostering a sustainable built environment in Lagos

1.4 RESEARCH QUESTIONS

The research questions are:

1.  what are the types of laws and regulations adopted for a sustainable built environment in Lagos State?
2. What are the benefits of laws and regulations in fostering a sustainable built environment in Lagos?
3. What are the factors affecting the laws and regulations governing environmental sustainability in Lagos State?
4. What are the ways to improve laws and regulations in fostering a sustainable built environment in Lagos?

1.5 STATEMENT OF THE HYPOTHESIS

H0: the laws and regulations in fostering a sustainable built environment in Lagos is not effective

H1: the laws and regulations in fostering a sustainable built environment in Lagos is effective

1.6 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

The following are the significance of this study:

1.     The outcome of this research will create awareness to both the general public, the urban and regional planning in Lagos and Lagos state residents about the role of laws and regulations in fostering a sustainable built environment in Lagos.

2.     This research will be a contribution to the body of literature in the area of the role of laws and regulations in fostering a sustainable built environment in Lagos, thereby constituting the empirical literature for future research in the subject area.

1.7 SCOPE OF THE STUDY

The study covers on the role of laws and regulations in fostering a sustainable built environment in Lagos

1.8 ORGTANIZATION OF THE STUDY

This study will contain five chapters; the chapter one of this study will contain the background to the study, the statement of the problem, the aim and objectives of the study, the research questions, the statement of the hypothesis, the significance of the study, the scope of the study, the limitations of the study and definition of terms. The chapter two of the study will contain the review of related literature. The chapter three is the research methodology. The chapter four will contain the data presentation, analysis and interpretation. The chapter five will contain the conclusion and recommendation.

1.9 LIMITATION OF THE STUDY

Financial constraint- Insufficient fund tends to impede the efficiency of the researcher in sourcing for the relevant materials, literature or information and in the process of data collection (internet, questionnaire and interview).

Time constraint- The researcher will simultaneously engage in this study with other academic work. This consequently will cut down on the time devoted for the research work.

1.10 DEFINITION OF TERMS

BUILT ENVIRONMENT: The term built environment refers to human-made conditions and is often used in architecture, landscape architecture, urban planning, public health, sociology, and anthropology, among others. These curated spaces provide the setting for human activity and were created to fulfill human desires and needs

LAWS: Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior, with its precise definition a matter of longstanding debate. It has been variously described as a science and as the art of justice

REGULATIONS: Regulation is the management of complex systems according to a set of rules and trends. In systems theory, these types of rules exist in various fields of biology and society, but the term has slightly different meanings according to context.