Determinants of Urban Resilience in Phase I of the Federal Capital City, Abuja, Nigeria: Evidence from Relative Importance Index and Principal Component Analysis

Rapid urbanization and climate-related pressures are increasing the vulnerability of cities to flooding, heat stress, environmental degradation, and infrastructure challenges. Green infrastructure (GI) offers a nature-based approach to strengthening urban resilience, yet empirical evidence from Nigerian cities, particularly Abuja, remains limited. This study assessed the role of GI in enhancing urban resilience in Phase I of the Federal Capital City (FCC), Abuja, Nigeria. Data were collected from 384 respondents using a structured questionnaire. Descriptive statistics and the Relative Importance Index (RII) were used to rank factors influencing resilience, while Principal Component Analysis (PCA) with Varimax rotation identified their underlying dimensions. The highest-ranked factors were integration of environmental considerations into land-use planning (RII = 0.684; Mean = 3.42), preservation of natural drainage patterns (RII = 0.676; Mean = 3.38), and institutional capacity to implement urban plans (RII = 0.662; Mean = 3.31). PCA extracted four components with eigenvalues greater than 1, collectively explaining 72.02% of the total variance. Physical-environmental factors accounted for 36.54%, institutional-governance factors 16.46%, socioeconomic factors 10.98%, and technological factors 8.04%. Factor loadings exceeded 0.70, with cross-loadings below 0.30. The findings indicate that urban resilience in Abuja is strongly associated with environmental planning and protection of natural drainage systems, while institutional, socioeconomic, and technological conditions provide complementary support. Strengthening GI integration into land-use planning and improving institutional implementation may enhance resilience and support sustainable urban development in Abuja.

green infrastructure; urban resilience; Abuja; land-use planning; environmental planning; principal component analysis; Relative Importance Index.

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