Lagos, a budding megacity in Nigeria and the pride of every Lagosian, the rate of development in this city is really mind blowing. It is a land of opportunities and every day this small island continues to grow almost without boundaries. Being in existence as Lagos since the 1850s, this city state has gone through different stages of development, and this has made it of serious relevance when considering urban development in Nigeria or even in Africa.

THE WATER – A BLESSING OR A CURSE
Been surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean and enamored with different water bodies, Lagos is beckoned to by the water with its endless beaches, waterfront developments and unlimited landfills capabilities. Cities that never existed can be created, such as the Lekki Ajah Corridor, Banana Island, the Outer Marina and the ongoing construction of Eko-Atlantic (a Prime Real Estate Development).
It is reasonable to say that the state is more connected by water than roads (or rail). One can distribute parcels of land as divided by the water, there’s the mainland, the Island (largely Lagos Island), Victoria Island, Ikoyi, Ikorodu, Badagry. That is why for a state like Lagos, the Ministry of Waterfront Infrastructure Development is perhaps long overdue and seriously lagging behind in the work it needs to do in the state. Lagos has similarities with so many tourist cities around the world such as Dubai, U.A.E (it’s beaches and ever expanding waterfront), Miami, U.S.A (exclusive apartments with a deck and yatch on the water), Venice, Italy (interwoven water n bridge spaces), Hawaii (beach resort development and vacation destinations as seen in Badary, Epe, and Takwa Bay)

CHALLENGES OF THIS MEGACITY
Being home to over 15 million people, the challenges of this city are magnified. The high cost of infrastructure required to cater for this population is beyond imagination and cannot be brought forth by waving a magic wand. The present administration has made some efforts by partnering with various international organizations and government MDAs, however there still remains a huge gap to fill.
Land in Lagos is of high value being already surrounded by water but the rapid growth of the city further inflates the cost of land resources. This is evident from both the State and the local land owners. This inevitably results in high cost of real estate and it is not surprising that surrounding areas around the state are benefitting from this as people seek settlement where they can afford. The issue here is that while the State Government has come up with different development plans for existing business districts and the metropolis – what will happen to the unplanned peripheral cities that are increasingly home to most of the Lagos middle class.
Traffic Congestion is something that all can testify to in Lagos. Reasonable efforts have been made to ensure that traffic is moving and not at a standstill. However, spending 4-6 hours per day commuting to and from work is very far from the ideal. For people that live very far from the Island, there’s the possibility of spending about the same hours spent at work on the road. It is hoped that the development of a light rail system and making the waterways safer and more efficient for transportation would help reduce this.
Quality health service in the city state is paramount as the sprawl and slum areas are prone to many more health challenges. Fortunately, the government is not ignorant of this and has endeavoured to provide health centres close to the people but the ratio of health workers to the population still has the workers been stretched to their limits.

SUSTAINABILITY AND MANAGEMENT OF THE CITY
The major concern of Lagos is the Urban Sprawl within its urban fabric, while it is evident that the continuous migration of hopefuls (both locally and internationally) to the state is not likely to cease, the city in itself continues to experience a sprawl movement within its boundaries. This is easily observed through the traffic patterns on a daily basis, there is a large movement of people from all over to the business districts, road arteries are stuffed and blocked. It is comparable to the seasonal migration of animals in the west except that this migration is a daily experience. The Lagos State Development Plan also takes cognizance of the growth corridors of the city; two are identified in the development plan without considering the rapid residential development on-going in Ikorodu (earmarked in the development plan for agriculture) and towards Ogun State (Ibafo – Mowe – Ofada and along the Lagos Abeokuta Express way).
A fast and pro-active approach is needed especially along these growth corridors, while there might not be immediate economic benefits of such an action, it would prevent a re-occurrence of the chaos presently being fought to be managed in the city. It has been said that history repeats itself, amidst the proclamation of being a megacity, it is possible that despite the laid out development plan the state would remain in a state of reaction to effects of uncontrolled rapid development.

Lagos Island was the upscale area in terms of residence and business circa 1960s, however it suffered a great deal from over-crowding, inadequate infrastructure and poor maintenance; the government of the day then chose the easy-way out and expanded into Victoria Island. Victoria Island was the new haven and Ikoyi was the upscale residential area for a while but as the companies left Lagos Island and moved into Victoria Island, the Island lost its serenity. Sadly Maroko was promptly cleared and Victoria Island extended towards Lekki; as evidenced today – this has not solved the urban development issues. Moving around Lagos Island today (the busy market streets of Idumota, Martins, Balogun, Oke-Arin, e.t.c) it is regular to come face to face with mid-rise buildings that are not occupied beyond the 2nd floor.

It is likely that the same fate with befall Victoria Island especially as the high rises are not fully occupied due to high real estate prices, the lack of desire by some organizations to be in the traffic congested Victoria Island as well as the rapidly developing Eko Atlantic City. Don’t get me wrong Eko Atlantic is a fantastic and innovative development but I wonder if it will result in yet another sprawl and leave behind another space for the notoriety that is seen in Lagos Island.

Sustainability, urbanization and megacity are terms that seem difficult to work together however the challenge of the built environment professional to make this work not just for the upper class of a society but for the general populace. This is ultimately the challenge of the future Lagos, a city state that is open and growing but yet maintaining and giving adequate attention to its present urban scape.
One way of going about this would be the garden city concept though it cannot be directly applied to Lagos as it is not rich in land resources, it can be adopted by the growth of Multiple City Centres. People should work close to where they live. The state should look towards creating economically viable city centres in other areas that can provide housing for the people to work in those areas.
There is an urgent need to decentralize Lagos, the solution is not just about mixed use developments, luxury apartments or the creation of a new city. There is the need to create attraction to other parts of the state apart from the Victoria Island Lekki-Ajah Corridor. Faster and efficient transportation is good, but a more sustainable option is to reduce the distance of commute and create communal city living.