Evaluating the Role of Urban Design Tools in Enhancing Energy Efficiency in High-Density Urban Developments: Insights From Lagos Metropolis

Urbanisation in Lagos Metropolis has increased the rate of creating high-density urban centres, thus aggravating energy demands and environmental pressures. It is in this paper that we have evaluated how urban design tools can help to reduce energy use in high-density developments in Lagos. With the Compact City Theory, Sustainable Urban Development Theory, Urban Metabolism Theory and Climate-Responsive Urban Design Theory, we used a descriptive and analytic design and preferred quantitative approaches in a mixed-method approach. The data were collected in the form of structured questionnaires filled by 384 participants, with the supplement of the information by the direct observation and GIS-based spatial analysis of the three purposely chosen high-density districts, Victoria Island, Ikeja GRA, and Surulere. The results demonstrate that mixed-use development, compact-city ideologies, passive design approaches, the street orientation, and green infrastructure have a positive effect on energy efficiency. Victoria Island was a study that proved to be a model region that has been able to adopt design tools more than Surulere and Ikeja GRA, especially using green infrastructure and orientational planning. The results of statistical analyses showed strong, positive correlations between the urban design features and the lower energy consumption, which were supported by the results of spatial overlays, which display favourable morphological patterns. The paper concludes that energy efficiency in Lagos can be significantly enhanced by imposing energy-conscious urban design tools in planning policies and development guidelines. We would, therefore, suggest changes to the regulatory framework, the imposition of the design standards and the enhancement of the capacity-building programmes of urban planners and architects. The results are relevant to evidence-based urban planning and the sustainable development strategy of tropical megacities.