Page 519 - Sustainable Cities and Communities Design Handbook

488 Sustainable Cities and Communities Design Handbook

of Green Economy. The Path to Sustainable Development was presented at
the Rio þ20 summit in 2012 and it very clearly has a more concerted focus
on the environmental dimensions of sustainable development. A Green
Economy “involves promoting growth and development while reducing
pollution and greenhouse gas emissions, minimizing waste and inefficient
use of natural resources, maintaining biodiversity and strengthening energy
security (NG Gov, 2012).” At the operational level, the Green Economy is
driven by investments that reduce carbon emissions and pollution, increase
resource use efficiency, and prevent the loss of ecosystem services, while
resultinginimprovedhuman well-being, social equity, and economic
development.
Implementation of policy and projects for sustainable development are best
seen at the local level, and because of the massive population in Nigeria, urban
sustainability is imperative. Lagos is the largest urban center within the
country and home to about 13 million people (CIA, 2017a,b,c). Lagos is
already considered a megacity, since its population is already over 10 million,
and its population is expected to reach 24 million by 2020. It is estimated that
by the same year, half the Nigerians will live in urban centers and the country’s
megacities (Obia, 2016). The architecture, design, and urbanism firm NLE,
founded by the Nigerian Kunle Adeyemi, has proposed several high-profile
sustainable urban development projects for the city of Lagos and elsewhere
in Nigeria. Some of these projects include a fourth Mainland Bridge and
Masterplan for Lagos as an urbanization project to aid in pedestrian mobility
as well as traffic flow of cars and boats. The multilevel bridge will accom-
modate vehicular traffic on its upper level, whereas the lower level will provide
a space for pedestrians with social, cultural, and commercial activities. The
design would create a roadway ring around the city that would provide
alternative traffic routes and decrease congestion (NLE, 2008).
A second proposed urbanism project is the Lagos Water Communities
Project. Given the pressures of climate change and the resulting rise in sea
level and increased instances of heavy rainfall and flooding, the Lagos Water
Communities Project aims to create low-cost floating infrastructure as a way to
protect the urban city from water damage as well as to accommodate the ever-
growing population (NLE, 2012a).
The Makoko Floating School was the pilot structure for the Lagos Water
Communities Project. Completed in 2013, the building could accommodate
100 students and was kept afloat by 256 plastic drums filled with air. The
electricity needs would be provided by the rooftop solar panels, while
rainwater collection would help the indoor plumbing. The building itself was
constructed from locally sourced wood, and construction was done by
Makoko residents at a total build cost of $6250 (FutureLagos, 2014; NLE,
2012b).