Popular Planners: Newspaper Writers, Neighborhood Activists, and the Struggles against Housing Demolition in Lagos, Nigeria, 1951-1956

Abstract

As Nigeria prepared for independence in the 1950s, British planners and Nigerian politicians sought to improve Nigeria’s international image by dismantling what they called the “slums” of Central Lagos. This article examines how a loose coalition of residents—including female traders, homeowners, and tenants—challenged the idea that Central Lagos was a slum and pushed for alternative planning proposals that would suit residents’ interests. I propose “popular planners” to describe the residents who drew on their lived experiences and knowledge of colonial planning laws to critique building demolition and demand the Development Board amend its slum clearance plan. Their competing visions, articulated in newspapers, during street demonstrations, and in petitions, demonstrate everyday people’s investment in transforming the city’s future during the end of colonial rule and their opposition to exclusionary planning processes that continue to shape urban policies in Nigeria.