Town planners have been urged to develop the skills and competence required to effectively communicate urban planning needs to the public.

Former Lagos State Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Olutoyin Ayinde, gave the charge at the 2025 Young Planners’ Week and yearly general meeting themed “Making Lagos Africa’s Model Mega City: Integrating Transport and Waste Management for Sustainable Urban Development,” organised by the Nigerian Institute of Town Planners (NITP) Young Planners’ Forum (YPF), Lagos State Chapter.

Ayinde, a past president of NITP, noted that urban planning has become increasingly challenging due to poor waste management practices in cities and the inability of some practitioners to demonstrate professional competence.

He said deficits in communication and technical capacity among some planners continue to hinder effective practice, stressing that the YPF represents the future of the profession.

“Your design is also a form of communication and a solution to problems. We should design because we want to provide solutions. When planners show themselves as solution providers, their relevance becomes evident,” Ayinde said.

YPF Coordinator, Idris Bashiru, described the forum as a celebration of ideas, innovation, and youthful passion shaping the future of planning practice in Lagos and beyond.

He said the year’s theme directly addresses key urban challenges facing Lagos, urban mobility and environmental sustainability, which demand creative thinking and integrated approaches.

“These challenges call for planners who can think beyond the ordinary and recognise that transport systems and waste management are not just technical issues but lifelines of livable cities. As young planners, we must design a Lagos where connectivity meets cleanliness and innovation meets inclusion,” he said.

Bashiru added that since the forum’s reorganisation in 2024, its members have continued to build on the foundation laid by their predecessors through teamwork, vision, and dedication.

Speaking on the theme, Prof. Bamidele Badejo of the School of Transport and Logistics, Lagos State University (LASU), identified key urban crises confronting Lagos, including challenges of manageability, mobility, livability, service delivery, unemployment, and underemployment.

He emphasised that the relationship between transportation and waste management is critical to the city’s sustainability, warning that Lagos’s growing population will continue to increase waste volumes.

“There is a need for constant review of strategies and options capable of coping with emerging challenges. Given the physical properties of solid, liquid, and gaseous wastes, planners must monitor changing dynamics and spatial distribution patterns,” Badejo said.

According to him, integrating transport and waste management is vital for sustainable urban development. His strategies for integration include locating waste management facilities near transport hubs, adopting waste-to-energy systems, promoting public transport and non-motorised mobility, encouraging shared mobility services, and incorporating green spaces and urban forestry.

Earlier, Special Adviser to the Lagos State Governor on Taxation and Revenue, Kabir Ogungbo, said revenue generation, governance, and urban planning are interlinked. He urged planners to lead urban transformation by equipping decision-makers with reliable data, designing functional spaces, and adhering to planning principles.

Ogungbo also emphasized the importance of integrating data and technology into planning processes to enhance transportation and waste management, thereby ensuring a cleaner and more livable city.

Among guests at the event was the Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Dr Oluyinka Olumide. In the Olutoyin Ayinde Urban Design Competition that focused on urban transformation for Obalende, Lagos, Team Three from the University of Lagos (UNILAG) emerged winner, Team Two from the same university came second, while Team Two from Lagos State University of Science and Technology (LASUSTECH) took third place.