Arbitration and Resolution of Contending Forces of Urban Land Policy Expressed in Land Use in Metropolitan Areas of Nigeria

The beauty of a metropolitan area is efficient separation of different land uses so as to accommodate and ensure the coexistence of various land uses (residential, commercial industrial, recreational, etc.) in urban centers. This paper examines the complexities of urban land policy and land use in metropolitan areas, with a focus on Lagos. The study adopted qualitative content review to analyze existing literature. The study found that the government understands that land is a treasure; hence, there are land policies on the use of land to control the use and ownership of land in Nigeria. In spite of all these legislations, there are still existing problems and inadequacies in land use and administration of land in metropolitan areas, such as Lagos. This inadequacy are the contending forces of urban land policies expressed in land use in metropolitan areas in Nigeria. However, there are land use approaches which ensure the arbitration and resolution of these contending forces. These land use approaches include but are not limited to comprehensive urban planning, zoning and land use regulation, infrastructural development, etc.