Determinants of Urban Green Spaces Change in Katsina, Northern Nigeria

This study was poised to identify the factors contributing to changes in urban green spaces in the Katsina urban area. It utilized a mixed-methods approach, which included administering questionnaires, interviewing key stakeholders, organizing focus group discussions, conducting field observations, and maintaining a diary study. Data analysis assumed descriptive and inferential statistics. The findings indicated that urban spatial expansion urban expansion and population growth accounted for 82% of observed UGS decline, alterations in environmental and physical conditions, socio-economic transformations, and shifts in political and administrative structures were the primary factors driving changes in UGSs in Katsina. To this end, it is recommended that urban planning authorities in Katsina integrate population management, sustainable land-use policies, and environmental governance reforms to mitigate further loss of urban green spaces.