The Planning Implications for Changing the Use of Residential Buildings in Auchi, Nigeria

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Residential use has an indisputable influence on the spatial distribution of all other urban subsystem with a dominant emphasis on the built environment. Its modification and conversion is viewed in two ways: the positive and negative effects explained from physical, economic and social perspective. But the change of residential use especially to commercial use in speed and scope has presented negative consequences of housing shortage, traffic congestion, insecurity, and social vices. Uneven cost of residential accommodation as well as the reduction of environmental qualities such as noise and air pollution is well associated with this development. Consequently, the conversion of residential use has not been adequately addressed; this is important because of its effects on the zoning principles, density and spatial interaction of the various land uses. To identify and examine the planning implications of residential conversion in Auchi, A well-structured questionnaire was administered to 259 respondents with valid responses of 97.74% of the targeted household. Stratified random sampling technique was used to elicit information on the socio-economic life style of the respondents from five zones which represents the five quarters of Auchi. The result of the analysis reveals a significant effect of change of use of residential buildings on the emerging landuse pattern, which includes housing shortage, traffic congestion, and reduction of environmental quality, insecurity and social vices, unsanitary condition and pollution, and uneven cost of residential accommodation at 0.01% level of the zero-order correlation matrix. 58.7% of the respondents claimed that change of use has actually occurred, while 41.3% of the respondents refused this claim. Mitigation measures such as provision of comprehensive master plan with adequate allocation for commercial use, strict monitoring of physical development by the Local Planning Authority in compliance with building standards-regulations and approval should be sought prior to any change of use