Environmental Impact Assessment in Developing Urban Economy: A Perspective of Challenges Impeding Public Participation in Traditional City of Bida, Nigeria

Evidences reveal that broad-based social capital and social inclusion has been failing in the practices of public participation in Environmental Impact Assessment for the development of urban economy in less-developed countries. The impact of broad-based failing on urban economy is intensified by series of factors namely; organic community development, lack of successful development control and behavioural attitude of populace among others. For a traditional city which needs a high number of infrastructural developments as part of socio-economic and environmental management, public participation as a module of decision-making process, is more complex, due to micro-based factors as challenges in traditional cities of Africa. To date, studies on public participation center expansively on macro-based factors with little or no concentration to examine micro-based factors on government-based projects. This study therefore, tends to identify challenges causing broad-based deterioration by focusing on examining the micro factors impeding public participation in government- based projects. In this study, quantitative research method using questionnaire survey was adopted with 344 questionnaires were administered to examine micro-factors hindering citizens to participate in Environmental Impact Assessment. The sampled frame includes; planning officers, traditional leaders, youth leaders and household heads. Standard multiple regression analysis was adopted to recognize factors affecting citizens to participate in urban planning and management. This study suggests areas of encouraging broad-based participation and apparently could be used by the environmental planning practitioners and law makers in the traditional cities of developing countries, like Bida in Niger State, Nigeria.