Critical Analysis of Urban Planning Responses to Climate-Induced Internal Displacement in Borno State

Climate change-induced displacement is increasingly intersecting with conflict-driven displacement in North East Nigeria, creating compound planning challenges for urban receiving cities. This study critically analyses urban planning responses to climate and conflict-induced internal displacement in Borno State, focusing on the planning and management of internally displaced person settlements in and around Maiduguri. Using a qualitative research design grounded in critical urban theory, the study draws on 40 semi-structured interviews with IDP community leaders, humanitarian planners, state urban planning officials, and NGO representatives. Document analysis of IDP camp management frameworks, state urban development plans, and humanitarian land use agreements provided secondary evidence. The study critically examines the tensions between humanitarian settlement planning logic and longer-term urban planning considerations, including land tenure formalization, service infrastructure standards, and integration into or separation from the host city. Findings are expected to reveal a planning governance vacuum between humanitarian and development actors, perpetuating temporary settlement conditions that harden into permanent informal communities, while excluding IDP populations from formal urban planning consideration. The study contributes original analysis to a recognized gap in the literature on planning for displacement in conflict-climate nexus contexts. Recommendations address development of a Borno State IDP-Urban Integration Planning Framework, legal instruments for tenure security in long-term settlement areas, integration of IDP settlement needs into Maiduguri's urban infrastructure planning, and humanitarian-development coordination mechanisms for planning. Keywords: Internal displacement, Climate change, Urban planning, Borno State, Maiduguri.