Managing the challenges of competing interests of different regions in setting the boundaries of neighboring urban areas: the case of Addis Ababa city administration and oromia regional state, Ethiopia

Solomon Benti; Heyaw Terefe; Daniel Callo-Concha

doi:10.1016/j.heliyon.2022.e11024

Managing the challenges of competing interests of different regions in setting the boundaries of neighboring urban areas: the case of Addis Ababa city administration and oromia regional state, Ethiopia

Heliyon. 2022 Oct 12;8(10):e11024. doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2022.e11024. eCollection 2022 Oct.

Authors

Solomon Benti¹, Heyaw Terefe², Daniel Callo-Concha³

Affiliations

¹ Chair of Environmental Planning and Landscape Design; Ethiopian Institute of Architecture, Building Construction and City Development (EiABC), Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia.
² Chair of History and Theory of Urbanism and Architecture; Ethiopian Institute of Architecture, Building Construction and City Development (EiABC), Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia.
³ Department of Ecology and Natural Resources Management, Center for Development Research (ZEF), University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany.

Abstract

In Ethiopia, urban boundary roles are ineffective, leading to conflicting urban development, particularly on areas share borders and are administered by different regional governments. Therefore, this study examined the nature of shared urban boundaries and related social-ecological challenges. It employed a case study approach, and the findings are conceptualized to the broader urbanization and urban planning trends, with particular relevance to any urban areas sharing borders. Temporal satellite images from 2005 and 2018 were used to examine land use/land cover changes around shared urban regions, and their proposed and existing land-uses were compared with the aid of Geographical Information System and ERDAS IMAGINE. The findings show lack of clear criteria to delineate urban boundaries in Ethiopian urban planning; absence of regional planning leading to indistinct and overlapping boundary setting, which triggered challenges related to: rapid conversion of ecosystem service providing sites to settlements, conflicts over land administration, and land ownership insecurity. Furthermore, non-integrated urban planning trends between urban areas sharing borders amplify the proposal of conflicting and incompatible land uses. As a result, policymakers and planners should employ integrated and participatory urban and regional planning concepts for the effectiveness of urban areas sharing boundaries and administered by different regions.

Keywords: Border towns; Integrated urban planning; Regional planning; Social-ecological challenges; Urban boundary.