Spatial inequality is a persistent quality-of-life problem of Third World urbanisation. While structural and economic analysis is essential to an understanding of inequalities in Third World cities, another valid but neglected mode of analysis is the kind which can be derived from a study of the inhabitants' conceptions, attitudes and feelings. We have therefore developed a cognitive/behavioural approach as a basis for appraising human judgements of inequalities in a traditional Nigerian city. Triads of 10 surrogate photographed environmental stimuli of Ibadan neighbourhoods are used to give groups of ordinary citizens resident in the city an opportunity to perceive, experience and describe salient features of environmental inequalities, and responses are analysed using a multi-dimensional scaling (MDS) programme. The results demonstrate that, other things being equal, people in the city are acutely conscious of the inequalities in physical attributes within the city.
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