Community-Engaged Architecture and Flooding Resilience for Lokoja, Nigeria

Abstract

ABSTRACT

The negative impact of climate change has disrupted our environment and the rapid growth of the urban built environment continues to increase the climate uncertainty and also increase the demand for resilience. In recent years there have been frequent flash floods and flooding in Nigeria and particularly in the built environment of Lokoja area of Kogi State, Nigeria. Therefore, buildings resilience and the local processes for architectural adaptation are necessary to avoid future catastrophic disasters. However, disaster prevention and resilience can only be effective when the human factor is considered and the processes for local resilience are harnessed for new architectural solutions based on community-engaged architecture. This literature review-based article is the first part of a two parts research with this being the theoretical discourse on the strategies for flooding resilience and adaptations in buildings. Whilst the second part would deal with identifying local strategies, proposed improved sustainable innovative strategies through community participation for the affected Lokoja communities. Literature suggests that, architecture is human centred, the built environment flooding resilience is attainable, community-engaged architecture and participatory processes are key to promoting acceptable sustainability in architectural practices.