Are home-based enterprises (HBEs) an economic lifeline or scenic distortion in Nigeria? Evidence from Ikot Epkene, Akwa Ibom State

《Are home-based enterprises (HBEs) an economic lifeline or scenic distortion in Nigeria? Evidence from Ikot Epkene, Akwa Ibom State》

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作者: Nkeiru H. Ezeadichie;Ugonna C. Nkwunonwo;Vincent A. Onodugo;Chioma John-Nsa;Edem A. Lawrence;Mfon Sampson

来源: HABITAT INTERNATIONAL,Vol.127,P.102623

语言: 英文

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作者单位: Department of Urban and Regional Planning, University of Nigeria, Enugu Campus, Enugu, Nigeria;Department of Geoinformatics and Surveying, University of Nigeria, Enugu Campus, Enugu, Nigeria;Department of Management, University of Nigeria, Enugu Campus, Enugu, Nigeria;Department of Urban and Regional Planning, University of Nigeria, Enugu Campus, Enugu, Nigeria;Department of Geoinformatics and Surveying, University of Nigeria, Enugu Campus, Enugu, Nigeria;Department of Management, University of Nigeria, Enugu Campus, Enugu, Nigeria;Department of Architecture, School of Design and Environment, National University of Singapore, 4 Architecture Drive, Singapore;Urban and Regional Planning Department, University of Colorado Denver, CO, USA;Department of Geography & Earth Sciences, College of Liberal Arts & Sciences, The University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, NC, USA;College of Arts and Architecture, The Pennsylvania State University, State College, Pennsylvania, USA;School of Design, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, PR China;Shanghai Key Laboratory of Urban Renewal and Spatial Optimization Technology, PR China;International Research Center for Architectural Heritage Conservation, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, PR China;Tongji University (CAUP) Shanghai, China;TU Delft Faculty of Architecture and the Built Environment, Delft, the Netherlands;Department of Construction and Real Estate, School of Civil Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing, 210018, China;Department of Mechanical and Construction Engineering, Northumbria University, Newcastle, UK;Institute of Mountain Hazards and Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, #9, Block 4, Renminnan Road, Chengdu, 610041, China;University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 19A Yuquan Road, Beijing, 100049, China;Power China Huadong Engineering Corporation Limited, Hangzhou, 310014, Zhejiang Province, China;School of Geography and Environment, Shandong Normal University, Jinan, 250014, China;College of Management of Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, 611130, China;Sichuan Center for Rural Development Research, College of Management, Sichuan Agricultural University, 211 Huimin Road, Wenjiang District, Chengdu, 611130, China;School of the Built Environment, Kyambogo University, P.O. Box 1, Kampala, Uganda;Institute of Human Settlements Studies, Ardhi University, P. O. Box 35124, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

摘要: There is a growing polarity in perspective of the proliferation of home-based enterprises (HBEs) in both developed and developing societies. In the developing societies, for example, Nigeria, apparently because of shrinking formal sector due largely to economic recession, HBEs are becoming the mainstay and economic support mechanisms for households and communities disadvantaged by limitations in the formal sector. Responses by researchers, urban planners, and development experts to the global trend of HBEs have been mixed, analogous, and ongoing. This study investigates these debates with evidence from Ikot Ekpene Metropolis in Akwa Ibom State of Nigeria. Our aim is to examine the lifeline benefits and environmental issues of HBEs, deterioration and environmental distortion on the general scenery of cities. The study reviewed existing knowledge and understanding of the HBEs and made use of quantitative survey research design. We collected our data using mainly the administration of a set of questionnaires to HBEs operators and the residents using a systematic random sampling technique. Results show that, albeit respondents acknowledge HBEs have environmental downsides with an average high impact of 43%, they however, believe that the economic benefits are much more pronounced and dominant with an average high impact of 77%. The study therefore concludes that HBEs are more of lifeline than they are scenic distorter. Therefore, it is crucial that urban planning policy includes the HBEs operation to maximise its full potentials.