Postcolonial Urban Planning Theory and the Challenge of African Urbanism: Toward a Nigerian Planning Theory

Planning theory has been challenged since the 1990s for its Eurocentric foundations, yet the development of contextually grounded planning theories for African cities remains an unfinished intellectual project. This doctoral study addresses the gap by developing an original Nigerian Planning Theory grounded in the empirical realities of Nigerian urbanism and in critical engagement with both Western planning theory and African philosophy. Drawing on Southern theory, postcolonial urbanism, and the philosophical traditions of Ubuntu, Igbo communalism, and Yoruba spatial epistemology, the research employs a theory-building methodology combining systematic literature synthesis, expert theoretical interviews with 60 Nigerian planning academics and reflective practitioners, and grounded empirical observations in three cities: Ibadan, Onitsha, and Sokoto. The theory-building process follows a rigorous abductive methodology that iterates between empirical observation and theoretical synthesis. The developed Nigerian Planning Theory articulates original propositions about the appropriate goals, epistemological foundations, methodological commitments, and institutional expressions of planning in Nigerian urban contexts. Core theoretical propositions challenge the universal applicability of Western concepts including the public interest, rational-comprehensive planning, and communicative rationality to Nigerian urban realities, and propose contextually grounded alternatives. The study makes foundational contributions to African planning theory, African philosophy of space, and the global project of decolonizing planning thought. Practical implications address how planning education, professional practice standards, and legislative frameworks in Nigeria should be reformed to reflect a grounded Nigerian planning theory. Keywords: Planning theory, Postcolonial, African urbanism, Nigeria, Decolonial planning.