Evidence-Based Design of University Zoological Gardens: A Perception Study in South-west Nigeria

Evidence-based design (EBD) has become an acceptable paradigm in environmentbehaviourendeavours in recent years with documented benefits especially in
healthcare facilities. However, little is known of its application to University
Campus Open Spaces (UCOS) like University Zoological Gardens (UZGs) which
accounts for the repetition of design mistakes. This study aims to assess the UZGs
as a major component of UCOS in South-west Nigeria with a view to formulating
EBD frameworks. It adopts a comparative post-occupancy evaluation (POE)
approach through a Stratified Random Sampling protocol of users (n=3,016) of the
gardens in Federal Universities in South-west Nigeria. Results of the quantitative
data analyses suggest that while walk-ability is a primary satisfaction factor among
thirty design considerations in the formulated model, legibility is the most primary
cognitive factor for designing perceptible high quality UZGs. The study argues in
favour of the developed framework as design tool-kit and recommends its
application as a feed-back input into the design process of UZGs.
JOURNAL OF CONTEMPORARY URBAN AFFAIRS (2018) 2(2), 46-59.
https://doi.org/10.25034/ijcua.2018.3670