Abstract:

Higher level education in today’s world is strongly premised on the demands of industry to achieve more relevance. The study and consciousness of indigenous architecture in the higher institutions of learning in Southwest Nigeria should also find relevance in the wider polity. Cities around the world are in a stiff competition to attract tourists by investing in provision of leisure areas, trading and cultural heritage attraction. The low levels of technology acquisition and rich social culture in the cities of southwest Nigeria can be exploited to promote urban tourism through preservation and proper organization of the historic cities. This study set out to investigate the current trends in the teaching of indigenous architecture in selected higher institutions of learning in southwest Nigeria with a view to identifying the connections between what is learnt in school and its relevance in the design and organization of modern cities. The study will gather data with questionnaire and interviews on the attitudes of students towards indigenous architectural styles and their willingness to adopt them in their designs after school. It will also examine literature on urban tourism that is based on heritage preservation. The research will determine the relevance of learning more about the tangible and intangible heritage values of indigenous architecture towards appreciation and eventual adoption for urban tourism.

Keywords:

Architectural education, curriculum, heritage value, historic city centres, traditional architecture, urban tourism.