Environmental sustainability in social housing comparing public realms of Abraham Adesanya and Jakande Estates in Lekki Peninsula, Lagos State Nigeria

Despite increased attention to sustainable housing, research on Nigerian social housing still lacks comparative estate-level, resident-informed evidence on public-realm environmental sustainability. This study aims to assess and compare the environmental sustainability of the public realm in two social-housing estates, Abraham Adesanya and Jakande, to inform targeted inclusive sustainable planning and design strategies. A mixed-method approach was adopted, utilising a quantitative survey, qualitative interviews, and observations. Taro Yamane's formula was used to determine a sample size of 523 housing units from two purposively selected estates, using systematic random sampling for quantitative data collection. Additionally, 10 respondents from each estate were selected through stratified random sampling for in-depth qualitative interview and observation. Principal component and thematic analysis were used for analysis. Findings indicate that both estates exhibit moderate-to-poor environmental sustainability conditions, with deficiencies concentrated in mobility-supporting infrastructure, environmental management, safety-supporting infrastructure, and limited renewable-energy integration. Jakande Estate demonstrates more severe infrastructure deterioration and higher reported flood disruption, significantly constraining walkability and accessibility. The study proposes a replicable public-realm upgrade blueprint that integrates indicator-based diagnostics, risk-prioritised infrastructure rehabilitation, performance-based waste management, solar-powered safety infrastructure, and participatory community governance mechanisms. The study provides an actionable blueprint with guidance for upgrading public-realm sustainability in Lekki Peninsula and comparable social-housing contexts.