Idowu, O.OShaibu, S.IRaheem, W.AMartins, V.I2024-05-052024-05-052018O. O. Idowu; S. I Shaibu; W. A. Raheem, and V. I. Martins (2018). Perspectives of Urban Sprawl: The Conflated Issues and Realities. In Zubairu, S. N. & Adedayo, O. F. (eds). Inclusive City Growth and the Poor: Policies, Challenges and Prospects. Community Participation Research Group (COPEREG) Vol 1. ISBN: 978-978-554580-9-1.https://uilspace.unilorin.edu.ng/handle/123456789/13667Urbanization is a continuous, universal and inevitable process of urban development. As observed by different scholars, the rapid urbanization of the world is quite alarming both in the developed and developing countries (Ewing, 1997; Sudhira et. al. 2004; Jat et. al. 2008; Olujimi, 2009). Idowu & Olaniyan (2009) considered the increasing world population and stressed that the phases of urban settlements have changed, because most of the semiurban areas and medium-sized towns have been turned into full urban town. Urban development across the world is translated into stressful urban dynamics, with rapid development of informal households and concentration of poor families at the peri-urban areas. Urban sprawl has no definite universal definition, but contentiously used to describe a wide variety of the undesirable aspects of urban growth, resulting in a poor environment, uncontrolled development and much unplanned suburbanization (Cillier, 2010; Noor & Rosni, 2013). Urban sprawl is a phenomenon widely discussed, but poorly understood, because it means different things to different people. Several studies have labeled urban sprawl as being obviously popular, contentious and surrounded by controversy (Torrens, 2008; Aljoufie et al., 2013; Aguda & Adegboyega, 2013). The major part of this chapter rely on literature; reviewing the conflated issues regarding urban sprawl and its realities across the world. Purposefully, a study on the changes in the built-up area of Minna between 1972 and 2015 was presented to establish the reality of urban sprawl in the town of Minna. This paper stands to educate on the process and product of urbanization and urban growth in Nigeria, particularly in Minna. Also, exhibits the distinct components that often contribute to theoretical confusion and analytical complexity.enBook chapter