Urban Land Use Change and the Erosion of Architectural Character in Historic Town Centres of South West Nigeria

Historic town centres in South West Nigeria are undergoing rapid land use transformation that is progressively erasing distinctive architectural characters accumulated over centuries of Yoruba urban development, and the process and consequence of this erosion require empirical documentation and analytical attention. This study empirically investigates the relationship between urban land use change and the erosion of architectural character in the historic town centres of Ado-Ekiti, Ile-Ife, and Ijebu-Ode, representing three distinct sub-regional Yoruba urban traditions. Multi-temporal satellite imagery analysis compared land use coverage between 2000, 2012, and 2023, quantifying rates and spatial patterns of commercial infill, residential densification, and demolition-replacement cycles. Physical survey of four hundred buildings documented architectural character attributes including spatial typology, facade material, roof form, architectural decoration, and spatial-to-street relationship. Buildings were classified by architectural character retention status and period of modification. Statistical analysis related character erosion rates to land use change type and intensity. Results demonstrate that commercial land use intensification is the single strongest predictor of architectural character loss, with buildings experiencing a change to commercial ground floor use showing a seventy-eight percent probability of facade modification within ten years. Owner-occupied traditional compounds show significantly higher character retention rates than rented or absentee-owned properties. Ijebu-Ode shows the highest character retention, attributed to active heritage advocacy by the traditional ruler's council. The study proposes a character erosion risk mapping tool and recommends area-based conservation management plans as priority interventions. Keywords: urban land use change, architectural character, historic town centres, South West Nigeria, urban conservation.