ASSESSING THE EFFECTIVENESS OF URBAN RENEWAL INTERVENTIONS IN BENIN CITY, NIGERIA: CHANGES IN PHYSICAL, ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIO-ECONOMIC CONDITIONS

Abstract

Urban renewal is widely employed as an interventi on to reverse physical deterioration, environmental degradation, and socio-economic decline in established urban neighborhoods. However, the effectiveness of renewal programs cannot be adequately assessed from infrastructure outputs alone; it requires evidence of changes in neighborhood conditions and consideration of spatial inequalities and residual problems.  This study assessed the effectiveness of urban renewal interventions in selected neighborhoods of Benin City, Edo State, Nigeria, by examining changes in physical, environmental, and socio-economic conditions before and after intervention. A convergent parallel mixed-methods design was adopted, combining a questionnaire survey, key-informant interviews, direct observation, and satellite imagery. Data from 784 valid respondents were analyzed using descriptive statistics, paired-sample t-tests, effect-size analysis, one-way ANOVA, Tukey HSD post hoc test, contingency analysis, and Kendall’s coefficient of concordance, while qualitative data were analyzed thematically.  The results indicate substantial improvements across all nine assessed indicators. Mean ratings improved from poor at baseline to good at post-intervention for road infrastructure, drainage, waste management, housing quality, water supply, electricity supply, environmental cleanliness, security, and street lighting. Paired-sample t-tests confirmed statistically significant improvements for all indicators (p < 0.001) with large effect sizes. Overall, 72.2% of respondents reported that their neighborhoods had either improved or greatly improved.  Nevertheless, improvement was spatially uneven. There were significant differences in the magnitude of change across neighborhoods for the assessed indicators, although the practical effect of neighborhood location was generally small. Residual urban decay was reported by 44.8% of respondents, while displacement, increased rents, congestion, and small-business closure emerged as unintended outcomes.  The study concludes that urban renewal substantially improved neighborhood conditions but did not completely eliminate urban decay. Long-term effectiveness will therefore depend on equitable spatial implementation, sustained infrastructure maintenance, effective environmental management, and the integration of socio-economic safeguards.