Crucial role of urban planning in tackling Nigeria’s insecurity

By Oyetunde M. Ajayi

AS darkness falls over many Nigerian cities, residents begin calculating risks. A poorly lit street, an abandoned building, a crowded settlement without proper access roads, or a lonely bus stop can turn an ordinary journey into a frightening experience. Across major Nigerian towns and cities, rapid urbanisation is placing pressure on infrastructure, housing and public services, creating environments where criminal activities can flourish. Nigeria’s insecurity demands effective policing, intelligence and justice. Yet another critical dimension deserves greater attention: the physical design of our cities. Security is not only a policing problem; it is also a spatial and urban planning challenge. An unplanned city can unintentionally protect criminals while exposing residents to danger. Nigeria must therefore recognise urban planning as an essential instrument of crime prevention.

Poorly planned urban growth creates conditions that can undermine public safety. Population growth, rural-to-urban migration and inadequate affordable housing have contributed to the expansion of informal settlements in major cities. Many communities lack properly laid-out streets, drainage, streetlights, reliable transport and accessible public spaces. These deficiencies have consequences beyond inconvenience. Narrow or blocked access roads can delay emergency responses. Poor lighting makes it harder for residents to identify suspicious activities. Inadequate street connectivity may isolate neighbourhoods, while poorly maintained public spaces can discourage legitimate activities after dark. For example, consider parts of Lagos, where intense commercial activity, congestion and informal development place pressure on existing infrastructure. In some neighbourhoods, emergency vehicles struggle to navigate obstructed streets. In Abuja’s expanding outskirts, residential development can outpace the provision of roads, lighting and public facilities.

Similarly, Port Harcourt faces related challenges where rapid development and infrastructure deficits affect movement and neighbourhood management. Abandoned and uncompleted buildings present another concern. Without adequate supervision, some become hideouts for criminal groups or locations for illicit activities. Vacant plots, neglected pedestrian routes and poorly designed transport interchanges can similarly create opportunities for robbery, harassment and other offences. However, poverty or informal settlement status does not make residents criminals. Most people living in underserved communities are law-abiding citizens who themselves suffer from insecurity. The problem lies in environments where inadequate infrastructure, weak development control and limited public services make protection difficult. Urban planning cannot eliminate crime, but it can reduce the physical conditions that allow criminal opportunities to develop.

One practical approach is Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design, widely known as CPTED. Its central principle is straightforward: the way places are designed and managed can influence criminal opportunities and people’s sense of safety. CPTED promotes natural surveillance, controlled access, territorial responsibility and effective maintenance. In simple terms, streets and public spaces should enable people to see what is happening, move safely, recognise legitimate users and report suspicious activities. Street lighting is an important starting point. Well-lit roads, pedestrian paths, markets and transport stops improve visibility and make evening movement less intimidating. Lighting alone cannot prevent crime, but it can support surveillance and safer public activity.

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Building orientation also matters. Houses, shops and public facilities designed with visible entrances and windows facing streets can encourage passive observation. Long, enclosed passages, hidden corners and poorly positioned walls should be avoided where they create unnecessary blind spots. Proper zoning and development control can separate incompatible land uses without isolating communities. Public parks, markets and recreational spaces should be accessible, visible and regularly maintained. A neglected park can become deserted; an active, well-managed park can attract families, traders and other legitimate users. Road networks must also support emergency access. Planners should provide connected streets, clear pedestrian routes, accessible transport stops and suitable locations for emergency services. These measures can shorten response times and improve everyday mobility. Nevertheless, CPTED must not become an excuse for surveillance excess, discriminatory profiling or the exclusion of poorer residents. Good design strengthens safety while protecting dignity, privacy and equal access to urban space.

Physical improvements alone cannot resolve the social conditions that leave some young Nigerians vulnerable to recruitment into criminal networks, gangs and cult groups. Therefore, inclusive urban planning must connect safer neighbourhoods with economic opportunity and social participation. Where affordable housing is scarce and employment opportunities are distant, young people may experience exclusion from education, recreation and productive urban life. Poor transport links can make accessing schools, vocational training and legitimate work more expensive and difficult. Mixed-income neighbourhoods, supported by adequate infrastructure and affordable housing, can help reduce spatial segregation. Their success depends on preventing displacement and ensuring that lower-income households retain access to essential services and livelihoods.

Governments should also provide accessible youth centres, sports facilities, libraries, skills-training spaces and well-maintained public squares. Such facilities create opportunities for positive engagement, mentorship and community interaction. They cannot automatically prevent cultism or violence, but they can widen alternatives to destructive social networks.

Reliable and affordable public transport is equally important. Safe bus stops, illuminated terminals, predictable services and connected pedestrian routes can improve mobility while reducing exposure to harassment and street crime. Community participation must guide these interventions. Young people, women, traders, transport workers and residents of informal settlements understand local risks that distant officials may overlook. Their knowledge should shape decisions about lighting, routes, public facilities and neighbourhood management.

The federal, state and local governments must now move from treating urban planning as a technical exercise to recognising it as a core component of national security. State ministries responsible for urban development should work closely with town planners, local councils, police, civil defence agencies, transport authorities and community organisations. Joint neighbourhood safety audits can identify dark streets, inaccessible routes, neglected buildings and vulnerable public spaces, allowing interventions to respond to evidence rather than assumptions. Governments must enforce development standards, maintain public infrastructure and integrate security considerations into master plans and urban renewal programmes. Funding should support street lighting, drainage, accessible roads, public transport and well-managed recreational spaces.

Crucially, upgrading informal settlements should take precedence over indiscriminate demolition. Providing roads, sanitation, lighting, secure tenure where appropriate and essential services can improve safety without destroying livelihoods or displacing vulnerable households. Demolition without viable alternatives often transfers problems elsewhere.

Local authorities should monitor results through transparent indicators, including emergency response access, residents’ perceptions of safety, infrastructure coverage and reported crime trends. Community trust must remain central to implementation.

Nigeria’s cities will continue to grow. The choice is whether they grow in ways that deepen insecurity or support safer, more inclusive lives. Policing remains indispensable, but security begins long before an officer answers an emergency call. It begins with accessible streets, visible public spaces, adequate housing and communities designed for human dignity. To build safer Nigerian cities, we must start not only in the security command room, but also on the drawing board of the urban planner.

•Dr Ajayi is Assistance Chief Town Planning Officer, Abuja Metropolitan Management Council (AMMC).