Urbanisation forces on the landscapes and the changing value-systems of Osun Sacred Grove UNESCO Site, Osogbo, Nigeria

The Osun Sacred Grove, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Osogbo, Nigeria, has undergone significant transformations due to urbanization, modernization, and globalization. This study reveals that the city's landscape evolution can be categorized into four semi-concentric phases: natural, traditional, modern, and post-modern, each shaped by political dynamics, sociocultural orders, architecture, land use, urban governance, housing, and religious practices. The research employs a monarchical chronology to trace these changes from the grove's origins around 1800 to 2015, highlighting the critical role of the monarchical system in landscape heritage conservation. It concludes with a prognostic model for the archetypal Yoruba city, emphasizing its cultural and historical significance as a hub for the Yoruba nation.

Adedeji, J. A., & Fadamiro, J. A. (2018). Urbanisation forces on the landscapes and the changing value-systems of Osun Sacred Grove UNESCO Site, Osogbo, Nigeria. Landscape Research, 43(6), 798–816. https://doi.org/10.1080/01426397.2018.1459525