118 Kabale University Research Journal (KURJ), Vol. 2 Issue 2. Kabale University Interdisciplinary Research Journal (KURJ) Effects of urban land use pattern on physicochemical parameters, carbon stock and heavy metal contents of soils in Lagos, Nigeria OPEN ACCESS *Peter Sanjo Adewale and Kola-Olusanya Anthony Department of Environmental Education, Osun State University, Osogbo Nigeria ABSTRACT It is becoming increasingly difficult to find available land in cities due to growing competition among industrial and residential use. Most often farmers use previously abandoned land to grow their crops. Unfortunately, the pollution status of these areas is often unknown, posing a potential risk to crops being grown. This study examined the impact of land use patterns on physicochemical parameters and heavy metal concentrations of soils collected from reclaimed arable land, greenhouse field and forest dry land. The samples were analyzed for physiochemical parameters and heavy metal residues using Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer. Data were analyzed using simple descriptive statistics, Analysis of Variance and Pearson correlation coefficients. Soil physiochemical parameters and heavy metal concentrations in the soil from the different land use types differed significantly. The range of values of heavy metals in soil showed Fe = 24.71±0.20 – 94.50±10.25 mg/kg, Pb = 0.12±0.07–2.47±0.45 mg/kg, Cd=0.05±0.03–3.11±0.03 mg/kg and Mn=0.50±0.18 – 13.80±1.38 mg/kg. The accumulation of heavy metals in greenhouse fields can lead to bioaccumulation in crops, which can have serious health consequences for those who consume them. To ensure the safety of our food supply, it is best to avoid excessive use of chemical fertilizers in growing crops. *Corresponding Author ISSN 2790-1394 KURJ pp. 118 - 126 Vol 2. Issue 2. Oct 2023 Keywords : Heavy metals, Land use, Soil composition, Chemical fertilizers, Food safety peter.adewale@uniosun.edu.ng Introduction Rapid urbanization and excessive use of pesticides, herbicides and chemical fertilizer in cities like Lagos Nigeria are raising serious concerns as it increases the accumulation of heavy metals in urban soils. It is important to protect land as a scarce resource in most cities. Urban planning plays a central role in making optimal use of available land and ensuring sustainable cities for everyone to live. However, in many cities, urban planning and related policies are weakly designed or poorly implemented, contributing to the challenges of rapid population and economic growth (Ramaiah & Avtar, 2019). In this context, urban agricultural activities are often ignored and when they are recognized they are not well integrated into planning processes and policies. For example, there is growing competition among industrial, energy, domestic and agricultural use of land and water, which is exacerbated by water scarcity in some countries.