ESTATE MANAGEMENT CONTRIBUTIONS TO SUSTAINABLE URBAN DEVELOPMENT IN NIGERIA

The paper looks at how the estate management profession has contributed towards sustainable urban de-velopment in Nigeria with a strong emphasis on how the profession has strategically contributed to thefunctionality, livability and friendliness of the urban space. In Nigeria, urban development is faced withtwo challenges viz. population growth and the sustainability of housing, infrastructure and environmen-tal management. Urban sprawl, poor housing, environmental degradation and infrastructural deteriorationhave been noted to be of great concern as the cities continue to grow. Based on the literature, policy doc-uments and empirical evidence, the study identifies major areas where the role of the estate managers issignificant; land use planning, the urban project valuation of property, the provision of sustainable housing,administration of the facilities and properties and the urban renewal programs. It further explains how themanagement of estates contributes in the decision making process in making a sustainable investment inreal estate and realization of urban regeneration by the use of advisory and professional services. Despitethese developments, some barriers to this practice, including lax implementation of policies, slow adoptionof smart technology, including BIM and GIS, insufficient funding, and lack of stakeholder cooperation, stillexist. The research argues that the key to development of sustainable cities in Nigeria rests in enhancingcapacity building, promotion of the use of technology, and greater involvement of the estate managers inthe local policy making processes. To pursue resilient, inclusive and sustainable urban development, estatemanagement can become an agent by aligning the professional practice to the Sustainable DevelopmentGoal 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities) so that the UN.