A major phenomenon that signaled the emergence of social change in the Third World after the Second World War was the rapid growth of the population of towns, and a gradual coalition of erstwhile village communities into urban centers. Housing for the poor in the urban centers of Third World countries as well as the conventional approaches employed towards addressing the issues have been critically examined in this book, including quite a number of the functional imperatives of the urbanization process.
About the Author: Zanzan Akaka Uji studied at Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria, graduating B.Sc. (Hons) in 1979 and M.Sc. (Architecture) in 1981. After a short stint in private practice he took up teaching with the University of Jos. He also read Law at the University of Jos and was called to the Nigerian Bar in 1993. Later, in 2000, he obtained his Ph.D. in Urban Environmental Planning at the University of Jos, specializing in urban self-help housing issues. He researched on aspects of the built environment and human behavior, philosophy of design, problem definition, systems approach and decision-making. Indeed, his Ph.D. Thesis looked into the manner in which the urban poor of Nigeria take decisions in the acquisition and or production of their shelter through self-help. Zanzan Akaka Uji has published several articles in reputable academic and professional journals. His other books are Evolution of Design Thought and Expression of Creative Thinking. Uji is currently a Professor in the Department of Architecture of the University of Jos. He is married and has five children. Moses Madubuze Okonkwo holds a Diploma in Building Technology from the Institute of Management and Technology, Enugu, Nigeria; and an M.Sc. in Architecture and Urban Design from the Superior Technical School of Architecture, University of Navarre, Pamplona, Spain; he also a Doctorate degree in Architecture and Urban Development from Warsaw University of Technology, Warsaw, Poland. He was a Guest-Lecturer in Advanced Post-Graduate Course in Town and Regional Planning for Developing Countries at the Technical University of Szczecin, Szczecin, Poland in 1989 and an Assistant Researcher at the Centre for Research of Southern Countries, University of Szczecin, Szczecin, Poland. He worked in Abia State University as Acting Head of the Department of Architecture (2007) and Department of Urban and Regional Planning (2007/2008). He researched on built environment in urban economy stimulation, and dialectical complexity of scientific research in architecture. Okonkwo has published many articles in reputable academic and professional journals. Other books to his credit are Scientific Research in Architecture (Theory, Methodology and Instrument); Enugu Urban Development Process: 1909-1990; Economic Reform and Development Pattern of Cities in Nigeria. He is currently an Associate Professor at the Department of Architecture, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka. He is married with three children.