DEVELOPING COMPREHENSIVE ASSESSMENT AND MONITORING PARAMETRES FOR LANDS IN SMALL TOWNS – FOCUS ON OBUDU TOWN, CROSS RIVER REGION, NIGERIA

This paper attempts to develop techniques of examination and evaluation of urban land, for the purpose of determining the degree of comfortability and livability in small towns, using Obudu town as a focal point. The paper shows that, it is possible to allocate a number of natural (physical), man-made (anthropogenic) and public (social) performance indicators by which one can judge the quality of the urban environment and, consequently, about the extent of its comfort. An algorithm for a comprehensive assessment of urban land and Classification on the degree of comfort of the urban environment was formulated. The paper analyzes the prevailing conditions in the small town of Obudu, and proposes the methodology of assessing the degree of comfort of the urban environment using ten (10) to eight (8) natural and anthropogenic indicators.