Dimensions of social infrastructure on livability: the case of Festac Housing Estate in Lagos, Nigeria

Festac Town Housing Estate, Phase One, was conceived as a livable estate in the '70s. This work utilises the study design approach to investigate the residents' level of satisfaction, and the infrastructures that are less effective. The cardinal question would be whether the estate meets the needs and aspirations of its over one million residents with reference to available social infrastructures. From a stratified sampling of 210 Festac residents, 81.4% response rate was attained. The main variables to the study are the level of satisfaction with the social infrastructure, and affordability. Pearsons' chi-square and Crammer's V symmetric measures were employed to make inferences about the weak statistical association between social infrastructures and livability, and the state of local vigilante patrol, health centres, open space/playgrounds, primary schools, kindergarten schools and colleges, shopping centres, police patrol, markets, petrol filling stations, and house rental, which exhibited least influences on livability. The study validates UN (2002) and McNeil and Dollery (1999). However, the Estate is not able to satisfy the demands and aspirations of the residents along the scale of social infrastructures. It invokes the attention of the authorities for comprehensive upgrades, while emphasising the need to increase the mass housing stock.