Town planning stakeholders, including the Nigerian Institute of Town Planners (NITP) and the Town Planners Registration Council (TOPREC), have emphasised the need for professionals to embrace tech-driven planning in addressing urban challenges in Nigerian cities.

Citing research, they stated that states operating on manual systems experience delays in their planning approval, while those with digitised systems process planning approval faster.

They further expressed optimism that the collective push for digital transformation would reposition Nigeria’s urban planning services to address security challenges, increase government revenues, and promote sustainable infrastructure development.

According to them, technology tools such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) and ChatGPT can be used to prepare a layout, zoning/development, land use classification and smart city, while planners must upgrade their knowledge and skills to remain relevant.

President of NITP, Dr Ogbonna Chime, led the call at the 27th Mandatory Continuing Professional Development Programme (MCPDP), organised by NITP and TOPREC, titled “Application of Digital Technology for Enhanced Physical Planning Services in Nigeria,” held in Kaduna, Ado-Ekiti and Abakaliki.

He argued that digital transformation has become a global phenomenon, and that Nigeria, as well as the planning profession, is an integral part of it and must respond to these contemporary changes.

Chime assured that the institute will intensify efforts to align Nigeria’s urban planning practice with global standards by committing members of the profession to a shift toward the use of digital technology for improved planning services.

On his part, President of TOPREC, Mohammed Ango, declared that Nigeria’s urban landscape was evolving at a staggering pace, and that traditional methods of physical planning were no longer sufficient to manage the complexities of 21st-century urbanisation.

According to him, a shift to digital technology has become inevitable.

In the meantime, the Chairman of MCPDP, Dr Osunsanmi Gbolabo, said the training was carefully designed to immerse participants with cutting-edge digital planning tools and practical frameworks for AI in spatial analysis, geo-design, and planning report presentation.

“Let us carry forward from this training not just the knowledge we have gained, but also the resolve to apply it with discipline and purpose,” he said. “The digital skills we have acquired must find expression in the planning offices, consultancy firms, government agencies, and academic institutions where we work.”

Meanwhile, in his presentation on “Land Use Classification as the Foundational Digital Building Block for the Application of Digital Technology for Enhanced Physical Planning Services,” Professor of Urban and Regional Planning at the University of Lagos, Muyiwa Agunbiade, said digital technology will not work without a shared, united and standardised land use classification, stressing that land use classification is the foundation of digital technology.

He noted that digital technology is not limited to GIS, but that GIS is rather part of the tools used for digital technology, adding, “land use classification must be machine-readable and digitally coded for it to be consistent. The lower the scale of planning, the higher the classification required for digital technology. Zoning/development guidelines need to be legislated for it to become legal and binding.”

Also, an urban planner, Mr Maitho Kaltho, said Nigeria is facing challenges, including growth of informal settlements, flooding and inadequate infrastructure, which make conventional planning slow and static. He said geo-design, which is an integration of GIS and AI, and involves data injection, predictive modelling and generative urban design, can help tackle challenges.

Earlier in Ebonyi, the Commissioner for Capital City Development, Sunday Inyima, thanked the leadership of the institute and the state chapter for recognising the state government’s achievements not only in physical planning and urban development but also in every area of the economy.

He also highlighted the commissioning of the Abakaliki Structure/Master Plan after several failed attempts by previous administrations.