SPATIAL ASSESSMENT OF GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE FOR ENHANCING SUSTAINABLE BUILDING MATERIALS PRODUCTION IN OYO, NIGERIA

Abstract

Green infrastructure is a cornerstone of sustainable development, offering a pathway for providing renewable and environmentally friendly building materials that are becoming practically unavailable in Oyo localities. The study was conducted through analysis of land use patterns, resource availability and ecosystem services using geospatial techniques. The analysis employed landscape images of 2000, 2005, 2010, 2015 and 2020 to evaluate the spatial growth that affected the green infrastructure in Oyo, Nigeria. Also, field observations were employed to gather information on the availability of timber and bamboo harvested from these green spaces. The land use, land cover analysis showed a decrease of 76.48% in 2000 to 50.40% in 2020. The Normalized Difference Vegetative Index (NDVI) varies from – 0.46 to 0.06 in 2000 to 0.00 to 0.28 in 2020, showing a decline in the vegetation. The field observation also revealed a decrease in the availability of timber and bamboo in the community for construction purposes. The study therefore recommends that the government and the entire populace should make efforts to protect and maintain green infrastructure for the sustainable provision of these materials for building construction.