Ageing in the box: Life-Course Perspective of Ageing in Place Among public housing residents in South-West Nigeria

Purpose: This paper investigates the long-term residential trajectories of public housing occupants in Southwest Nigeria, focusing on Ibadan’s estates. It explores what is not known about public housing, namely how residents adapt their dwellings over decades to accommodate family continuity, socio-economic shifts, and ageing-in-place. Design/Method/Approach: This study is drawn from a larger one which examined seven public housing estates that had existed for between 8 years and over 60years. A mixed-methods approach was used, with a survey conducted across four estates, targeting residents who had lived there for over 20 years. It harnessed quantitative household data from 157respondents at 1person/household, with qualitative interviews and sketches of incremental physical transformations. This approach captures both statistical patterns and lived experiences of adaptation. Quantitative data were analysed using both descriptive and inferential statistics, while qualitative data were analysed using thematic analysis. Research Limitation: The study is limited to public housing estates in Ibadan and households with at least 20 years of continuous residence. Findings may not be generalisable to other Nigerian cities or to informal housing contexts. Findings: Most residents acquired their homes to raise families and remain across successive life stages. As household structures evolved, 34 households (21.7%) undertook substantial modifications, often transforming original units into extended “family houses.” Typical changes included additional bedrooms, restrooms, study spaces, storage areas, and expanded lobbies. These resident-led transformations highlight the limitations of static public housing designs and underscore adaptability as a core design principle. Practical Implication: Design frameworks should anticipate incremental change and support resident-led modifications to sustain long-term liveability and family continuity. Social Implication: Adaptations reflect cultural norms of intergenerational co-residence and caregiving, demonstrating how housing design intersects with social practices and ageing-in-place. Originality/Value: This study contributes to architectural discourse by documenting multi-decadal household histories in Nigerian public housing estates. It uniquely integrates quantitative data with qualitative narratives and sketches of house plans, grounding theories of housing careers and ageing-in-place in the concrete practices of long-term residents.