Assessment of Urban Green Space Management in Ibadan, Oyo State

This study assesses the extent, quality, and management effectiveness of urban green spaces in Ibadan, the capital of Oyo State in South West Nigeria. Green spaces in Nigerian cities provide ecosystem services including heat regulation, stormwater attenuation, recreational opportunity, and biodiversity support, yet rapid urban expansion has progressively eroded Ibadan's green cover without compensatory planning responses. Remote sensing analysis using Sentinel-2 imagery from 2023 quantified green space coverage across twelve Local Government Areas within Ibadan Metropolis. Field assessments were conducted at fifteen identified green space sites including parks, road medians, school grounds, and open recreation areas, evaluating condition, management, and accessibility. Structured interviews were administered to Ibadan City Management staff, the Oyo State Urban Renewal Agency, and thirty residents adjacent to assessed sites. Results show that Ibadan's overall green space coverage is 8.4 percent of the urban footprint, well below the 15 percent recommended by the World Health Organisation for urban areas. Managed parks are concentrated in the Government Reserved Area, creating a spatial inequality in green space access. The majority of assessed sites show inadequate maintenance, with overgrown vegetation, broken amenities, and illegal encroachments reducing their functional value. Community-led maintenance initiatives are absent from all but two sites. The study recommends a citywide green space masterplan for Ibadan, mandatory green space requirements for new urban developments, and community park adoption programmes that empower resident associations to manage neighbourhood open spaces. Keywords: urban green space, environmental management, Ibadan, urban planning, ecosystem services.