Welcome To Our Department

HOD’s Welcome Address

It is my pleasure to warmly welcome you to the Department of Urban and Regional Planning, Faculty of Environmental Design and Management, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria. Established in 1981, the Department pioneered the undergraduate Urban and Regional Planning (URP) programme in Nigeria and has since remained a leading centre for planning education, dedicated to training professionals equipped to shape the spatial, social, and economic future of human settlements.

For over four decades, the Department has trained thousands of urban and regional planners across the West African subregion and is widely recognised as one of the foremost planning schools on the African continent. It is fully accredited by the Town Planners Registration Council of Nigeria (TOPREC) and maintains a strong professional affiliation with the Nigerian Institute of Town Planners (NITP).

Currently, the Department offers one undergraduate and seven postgraduate programmes, as outlined below:

Undergraduate Programme:

BSc Urban and Regional Planning

Postgraduate Programmes:

Postgraduate Diploma in Urban and Regional Planning (Academic)

Postgraduate Diploma in Planning Processes (Professional)

Postgraduate Diploma in Transportation Planning (Professional)

Postgraduate Diploma in Housing and Urban Renewal Processes (Professional)

Postgraduate Diploma in Landscape Planning (Professional)

MSc Urban and Regional Planning (Academic)

MPhil Urban and Regional Planning

PhD Urban and Regional Planning

Aside from our academic programmes, we are actively engaged in cutting-edge research activities designed to transform our built environment. Our core research focus areas encompass:

• Sustainable Urban Development & City Management: Managing rapid urbanisation, city layouts, and compact growth
• Environmental & Regional Planning: Ecosystem protection, flood mitigation, and sustainable community development
• Climate Change & Natural Resource Management: Resilience planning, green energy, and environmental resource tracking
• Transportation & Infrastructure Systems: Designing efficient transport networks, logistics, and utility frameworks
• Urban Governance, Policy & Development Control: Spatial planning laws, zoning enforcement, and institutional frameworks
• Housing Policy, Slum Upgrading & Urban Renewal: Tackling affordable housing deficits and transforming informal settlements
• Urban Economics & Informal Sector Integration: Harnessing urban markets and aligning informal commerce with city designs
• Public Health, Urban Safety & Community Security: Defensive design strategies to reduce crime and promote public wellness
• Rural-Agropolitan Planning & Tourism: Addressing rural-urban migration and developing ecotourism zones
• Spatial Technologies, GIS & Smart City Informatics: Utilizing remote sensing, satellite data, and digital mapping tools

The insights generated from our research serve as structural blueprints for efficient spatial and socioeconomic planning in Nigeria. Alongside our research, we lead impact-driven community service projects to foster participatory growth in the communities we engage with.

We invite you to reach out to us via any of our platforms. We are excited to collaborate and engage with you on the dynamic planning challenges and opportunities in Nigeria, Africa and beyond.

Once again, you are heartily welcome!

Professor Olorunfemi Olojede

Head of Department