Deconstructing the Affordability versus Quality Nexus: A Principal Component Analysis of Latent Housing Deficits in Urban Informal Settlements in Asaba, Delta State-Nigeria
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.64229/nwzk6x78Keywords:
Housing Quality, Affordability, Principal Component Analysis, Informal Settlements, AsabaAbstract
The debate over urban housing in Nigeria is accustomed to treating affordability and quality as a dichotomy, which masks the layered, non-explicit shortfalls that characterise such a trade-off. This paper examines the trade-offs between affordability and housing quality in Asaba, Delta State. A cross-sectional survey (n = 430 households) yielded information on structural, infrastructural, and environmental characteristics of the area sampled, which accounted for approximately 0.1% of the informal settlement population in the city. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) was applied to identify the main fundamental structure of housing deprivation. The analysis revealed three distinct latent deficits accounting for 72% of the total variance: a "Public Service Deficit" (water, sanitation, waste disposal), a "Structural Habitability Deficit" (roofing, flooring, ventilation), and a "Tenure Security Deficit". A multiple regression analysis demonstrated that a lower rent-to-income ratio was a significant predictor of a higher Public Service Deficit score (β = 0.38, p < .001), more so than the other components. This suggests that Asaba in Delta State derives its affordability from so much pain in a lack of basic public goods rather than mere structural compromises. The findings, which provide a fine-grained evidence base for policymakers, identify decentralised service provision as the necessary focus of interventions to upgrade living conditions without price-related displacement and were published in Science Advances.
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Copyright (c) 2025 Prince Ike Onyemenam, Tega Emmanuel Eyetan, Uche Ndudi Obi, Collins Oghenekome Ojoh (Author)
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