The proposed Lagos Imperial City
In line with its sustainability strategy, the developers of Imperial International Business City (IIBC) in Ikate-Elegushi, in the Elegushi Kingdom of Ajah, Lagos have unfolded fresh facts for the mixed-use developments, which will reduce distance and modes of transport in the proposed urban development.
The design is expected to incorporate footways, and pedestrian cycle shared space boulevard connecting the Marina to the central business district (CBD as well as reduce the reliance on cars as a means to reduce the burden added on air quality.
According to the promoters of the IIBC, Channeldrill Resources Limited, the objective it aims to achieve with transportation network is to promote efficiency within the city and even beyond. The firm’s Managing Director, Mr. Femi Akioye, explained that the design to incorporate even pedestrians.
So, by providing shaded walkways walking can be made safe under all weather conditions,” Akioye explained.
Akioye who spoke during the visit of the infrastructure consultants to the project, Mott MacDonald Limited, London, United Kingdom, said that for cyclists, a segregated cycle paths would be built into the transport network to provide a safer environment where residents can feel more comfortable to cycle.
The road hierarchy and public realm, he said, addresses the safety of cyclists and will also aim to include changing facilities within the commercial development in the area.
The leader of the Mott MacDonald team, Stuart Croucher, explained that the main mission of his team is to finalise its preparations which will ensure that the IIBC, conceived to be the number one smart city in Africa, is sufficiently structured in the area of infrastructure sustainability and efficiency.
Croucher revealed that to in actualise this, the infrastructure design of the city would be hinged on six infrastructural design drivers. These, he noted to include: ensuring that the IIBC must be self-sustaining; must be a smart and an eco-friendly city; must have steady flow of traffic; must have a flood free lifetime of 100 years; have general utility efficiency, and leverage on the best technology to archive the design drivers.
Given the volume of residential and commercial activities envisaged in the city, transportation network becomes a critical infrastructural consideration. Croucher explained, the city is been designed to align with the future developmental expansion and population growth of Lagos state for the next 50 years.
Already, he revealed that his team’s dream of making this a reality has been further boosted with the Lagos state 2030 transport vision plans, which he claims will be very useful for IIBC connectivity design.
Croucher however disclosed that much as his team have projected a population data for the future city, he believes it is important to get the same for the entire Lekki-Ajah area, as this will enable them to develop a proper outside connectivity/access plan for the residents of the IIBC.
