Comparative Analysis of Spatial Extent and Population Sizes of Cities in Nigeria: Implications for Urban Space Administration

Settlement is a unit of space built up by man to live and where to find a living Settlement serves man in a number of areas, it is a defense against external and natural intruders, it is also a place of social and cultural interactions among people who live together for business and development [1]. Settlements have evolved in their different shapes, pattern and population based on the level of development of man according to the prevailing culture and the heritage be-quitted by the previous generations. The shape, size, pattern and the nature of settlements are also measures of economic development of the inhabitants. You can estimate the level of economic development of a nation by nature of advancements exhibited by her cities and settlements. Poverty of a nation manifests in the physical canvas of cities and settlements in form of slums, run down housing and dilapidated infrastructure [2]. Settlements have been classified based on shape, spatial extent and structure which include nucleated settlements, dispersed settlements and linear settlement, satellite and emergence settlements. The popular classification of settlements is urban and rural classes. Settlement is basically the home of man, built by man and for man. The classification of settlements into rural and urban has been subject of research and academic discourse over the years especially on where the demarcation between the urban and rural settlement lies. Some authors have used population to define urban areas while others have used the availability of infrastructure and secondary urban services. Population limit of 20,000 was applied as the mark line from which rural area becomes urban (Though the population size used is varied from one country to the other). Whichever approach used to classify settlements into urban and rural, cities have dominant physical features that qualify them irrespective of regions, races or generation. A city is a place of high concentration of people, homes and services. Every city has its history of migration and influx of people from smaller settlements to attain the current size and status. The size of cities has implications on urban administrations and the efficient management of urban infrastructure and economy. When cities grows their demand for more sophisticated management increases the interactions between cities and their adjoining surrounding settlements also depict the nature of economic interactions and activities taking place in the nation which may provide understanding the macro economy of the nation and Gross domestic product (GDP) (Table 1). Volume 3 Issue 3 2018