Lagos, Nigeria: Exploring slums and overpopulation in the world’s fastest growing megacity
Author
Browne, Tom Juul
Term
4. term
Education
Publication year
2013
Submitted on
2013-05-03
Pages
73
Abstract
Dette speciale undersøger Lagos, Nigeria – ofte beskrevet som verdens hurtigst voksende megaby – i en tid, hvor over halvdelen af verdens befolkning bor i byer. Udgangspunktet er et casestudie, der med sekundære kilder og statistiske indikatorer belyser, om hurtig befolkningstilvækst og neo-malthusiansk “befolkningstryk” kan forklare byens udbredte slumområder og sociale udfordringer. Teoretisk tager arbejdet afsæt i neo-malthusianismen, der udvider den klassiske malthusianismes fokus på fødevareproduktion til også at omfatte vand, sanitet, sygdomme, urbanisering og klima. Da denne tilgang ofte kritiseres for at være for simpel, inddrager analysen også Nigerias skrøbelige politiske, religiøse og etniske spændinger, korruption, neo-liberale økonomiske politikker og ulighed. Empirisk beskrives Lagos som en økonomisk motor, der vokser meget hurtigt, især via land-by-migration, men samtidig som en by med meget omfattende slumforhold – i nogle skøn op til tre fjerdedele af befolkningen – hvor mange kæmper for at dække basale behov. Specialet vurderer således vægten af demografiske versus politisk-økonomiske drivkræfter bag Lagos’ urbane krise og drøfter implikationer for håndtering af megabyers vækst.
This thesis examines Lagos, Nigeria—frequently described as the world’s fastest-growing megacity—against the backdrop of a planet that is now predominantly urban. Using a case study design based on secondary sources and statistical indicators, it asks whether rapid population growth and neo‑Malthusian “population pressure” can account for the city’s extensive slums and socio‑economic strains. The theoretical framework is neo‑Malthusianism, which extends classic Malthusian concerns from food production to water, sanitation, disease, urbanization and climate. Acknowledging critiques that this lens is overly reductionist, the analysis also considers Nigeria’s fragile political, religious and ethnic divides, corruption, neo‑liberal economic policies, and inequality. Empirically, Lagos is depicted as an economic engine growing very rapidly—largely through rural‑to‑urban migration—yet marked by very high slum prevalence, with some estimates reaching three‑quarters of residents, and many struggling to meet basic needs. The study evaluates the relative weight of demographic versus political‑economic drivers behind Lagos’s urban crisis and reflects on implications for managing megacity growth.
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