Abstract

This paper explores how colonial authorities sustained the development of urban life in Ibadan city during the colonial period. Colonial authorities did not sustain urban planning through the provision of infrastructures and urban services, such as environmental hygiene, public health, housing, recreational services and employment, which encouraged people to live in Ibadan. Data for this paper were retrieved from archival materials from the Ibadan office of the Nigerian National Archives. Ibadan served as the capital city and the administrative headquarters of colonial Ibadan. It did not sustainably improve urban life with the provision of infrastructures such as housing, municipal transportation services, road construction, telecommunications, water supply, employment opportunities as well creation of ultra-modern markets and industries. The paper concludes that colonial authorities did not provide sufficient infrastructures and urban services to achieve sustainable development in the city of Ibadan throughout colonial rule. Keywords: Urban livability, Colonial rule, Sustainable Development,Transformation, Ibadan.