AAU Institutional Repository (AAU-ETD)
Addis Ababa University Institutional repository is an open access repository that collects,preserves, and disseminates scholarly outputs of the university. AAU-ETD archives' collection of master's theses, doctoral dissertations and preprints showcase the wide range of academic research undertaken by AAU students over the course of the University's long history.
How to Submit Your Work
The repository contains scholarly work, both unpublished and published, by current or former AAU faculty, staff, and students, including Works by AAU students as part of their masters, doctoral, or post-doctoral research
- All AAU faculty, staff, and students are invited to submit their work to the repository. Please contact the library at your college.
You may contact digirep@aau.edu.et.with any questions about the repository
Colleges,Institutes in AAU-ETD
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Recent Submissions
Managing the Challenges of the Built Environment Development Process In Ethiopian Urbanization: The Environmental Responsiveness Failure of the Management System in the Addis Ababa and Sebeta Urban Region.
(Addis Ababa University, 2023-03-01) Solomon Benti Abuna; Heyaw Terefe (PhD)
The built environment has become not only a major component of the physical environment but also one that has opportunities and challenges for the other components like the natural and working landscapes especially since the industrial revolution, which triggered rapid urbanization of the world and growth of urban centers. The literature review indicated that the main challenges were depletion and pollution of the landscapes that unless managed the built environment development process can fail to be responsive to the challenges. This research aims at studying the challenges of depletion of the natural and working landscapes in the context of rapid built environment development process, an emerging management of the process, and public ownership of land. The general objective of the research is investigating why the management of the Built Environment Development Process's responsiveness to its challenges for the natural and working landscapes in Ethiopia appears to have gaps and how the gaps can be reduced by taking Sebeta town, one of the emerging towns surrounding Addis Ababa, as a case. Both quantitative and qualitative methods including interview, focus group discussion, document review, and observation were used for the research. In addition, land use/land cover analysis based on time series satellite imageries; Participatory Geographical Information System (PGIS) were used as analysis methods. The result indicates that the built environment development process (BEDP) in the study region has significant gaps of responsiveness to the natural and working landscapes: it has led to the loss of 3,956.26ha of the landscapes from 2005 to 2018. In this process, the most affected areas include fertile agricultural lands, environmentally fragile zones including forested mountains, spaces providing cultural iv and spiritual opportunities, and riverbanks. The driver for the BEDP responsiveness gaps on the natural and working landscapes is the failure management system: (i) Its in existence that has led to spontaneous BEDP .(ii) Its inadequacy in terms of gaps in urban plans and their implementation. (iii) Limited availability of national and regional land use plans, and (iv) Gaps in the implementation of the public ownership of land policy that has not contributed as much as is expected.
Keywords: Built Environment; Environmental Responsiveness; Emerging Towns; Green Field Development; Natural and Working Landscapes; Urban Management Failures
Environmental Impacts of Urban Growth in Akaki-Kality Sub City, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
(Addis Ababa University, 2024-06-01) Truesaw Kebad; Solomon Benti (PhD)
This research is aimed to analyze land use/land cover dynamics of Akaki Kality sub city with their driving factors, and related environmental impacts. Spatial analysis were done majorly by using different time series satellite images that were compiled from land sat 5,7 and 8, and the supervised image classification of Arc GIS 10.4 and ERDAS IMAGINE 15 software programs were applied. Other non-spatial environmental impacts were addressed with the aid of primary data collected from households using structured questionnaire and other secondary data that were collected from Ethiopian National Metrology Agency. Similarly, Land Surface Temperature change done with Arc GIS. The 1996-2021 land uses/ land cover result analysis shows bare land decreased from 40% to 24%, which were mostly changed to construction; vegetation and forest, decreased from 43% to 23%; water bodies have shown only about 2% change and built up area increased from 10% to 46 %. Major driving factors for the increment of human induced land uses in the study area were population Growth; GDP growth and Governmental policy such as, industrialization policy and condominium-housing program. In order to minimize anthropogenic induced impacts on the urban environment in the country, government should revise investment policy and balance investment flow between inter regional and create job for youths in regional towns that can potentially reduce rural urban migration and the demand for urban land. Additionally, developing enough infrastructures to regional towns and foster private investors to invest their capital to regional towns. Moreover, vertical developments should be encouraged.
Keywords: Environment Impacts; Government Policy; Land use/Land cover; Urbanization; urban growth model
Quantification and Mapping of Ecosystem Services for the Conservation and Management of Dire and Legedadi watersheds, Central Highlands of Ethiopia
(Addis Ababa University, 2023-12-01) Simeneh Admasu Namaga; Mekuria Argaw (Professor)
Quantification and mapping of ecosystem service is a critical en-devours for the management of the ecosystems and integrating ecosystem service in land use management and planning. The study assessed the impact of Land Use Land Cover (LULC) dynamics on Ecosystem Service in the Dire and Legedadi watersheds. First, the benefits transfer method was applied to evaluate the ecosystem service value (ESV) changes in response to LULC. Second, the Integrated Valuation of Ecosystem Services and Tradeoffs (InVEST) model was used to determine habitat quality and assess the watersheds' annual water yield capacity. Thirdly, the previously developed recreational indicators in the ArcGIS tool were also applied to assess recreational potential. Fourth, land suitability for apple farming was assessed using the FAO land evaluation methodology and finally, the premises of compensation for ecosystem services was assessed as a watershed management and planning tool. The findings revealed that both watersheds experienced considerable LULC changes between 1985 and 2022. Natural vegetation, grassland, and eucalyptus plantations declined dramatically as settlement and cultivation increased. As a result, both watersheds experienced a substantial decrease in ESV and habitat quality. Total ESV in the Legedadi watershed has decreased from approximately US$ 65.8 million in 1985 to approximately US$ 11.9 million in 2022, and from approximately US$ 42.7 million in 1985 to approximately US$ 9.66 million in 2022, respectively. Total ESV in the Dire watershed decreased from approximately US$ 437 thousand in 1985 to approximately US$ 59 thousand in 2022, and from xvi approximately US$ 225 thousand in 1985 to approximately US$ 36 thousand in 2022, according to global and local ESV estimates. The area of high habitat quality habitat in the Legadadi watershed has shrunk from 206 km2 in 1985 to 50.26 km2 in 2022. Similarly, high habitat quality habitat has gradually declined in the Dire watershed, from 87.29 km2 in 1985 to 35.44 km2 in 2022. In terms of water-yielding capacity, the watershed’s total water yield increased between 1995 and 2021. The increase in water yield was greatly associated with increased rainfall and in the Legedadi watershed total water yield increased by 15.32%, while in the Dire watershed total water yield increased by 32.5%. Climate variability has had a greater impact on annual water yield than land use changes. The watersheds possess considerable potential for outdoor recreation, with approximately 19% and 23% of the Legedadi and Dire landscapes, respectively, exhibiting supreme recreational potential. Further, considerable land is highly suitable for apple farming, about 6.7%, and 13.1% in the Legedadi and Dire watersheds respectively. The conversion of land into other economic land uses could potentially affect the sustainable ecosystem production capacity of the watersheds. Landscape restoration integrated with a sustainable agricultural development approach would ensure the sustainability of both agricultural production and ecosystem service synergies without negatively affecting biodiversity. Therefore, the study recommends that designing market-based innovative mechanisms is critical to ensure the active participation of relevant stakeholders, particularly smallholder farmers.
Keywords: LULC, Ecosystem, Watershed, ESV, Habitat quality, Water yield, Recreation, Apple, Ecosystem market
Building Height and Layout analysis for Improved Residential Quarters; The Case of Some Selected Condominium Building Sites of Kolfe Keraniyo Sub-City, Addis Ababa
(Addis Ababa University, 2024-03-01) Habtamu Wesebo Lire; Asfaw Mohamed (PhD)
This thesis investigates mainly the current housing problems in Addis Ababa, which are getting worse and need an urgent solution. Currently, there are about 950,000 people waiting for the 10/90, 20/80, and 40/60 condominium house schemes. The existing condominiums are built with limited consideration of available space and a low building height without accounting for proper building location, i.e., slope, noise, wind, weather, and sunlight. There are also limited communal parking spaces, green spaces, and recreational areas, and there are cases where those spaces are used for other purposes and are not used by the community. Methodologically, the height regulation building prepared by the Addis Ababa city administration used questionnaires and checklists to collect data. The findings show that there is a lack of building height and layout for regulations condominiums, variations in the standard and existing conditions, a lack of building setbacks, and the condition of buildings contradicting the nearby villages. So, the condominiums that are going to be built at the government level to overcome housing problems require a system that needs to be controlled and completely meet standards.
Key words; condominiums, community, building height, building layout, regulations…
Density and Functional Mix in the Inner-City Kebele Housing: The Case of Kebele 02 In Woreda 01 Lideta Sub-City, Addis Ababa
(Addis Ababa University, 2022-06-01) Sisay Sulamo; Elias Yitbarek (Associate Professor)
Addis Ababa’s Primacy is high and the city is faced with fast demographic growth and sprawl. Accommodating the increasing population is becoming the new task and horizontal expansion is not possible. So the City’s administration has planned to follow compact city policies and intends to further densify existing inner-city neighborhoods’ especially near the transit line. This research tries to describe in detail the density and functional mix of the study area using multiple measures at neighborhood, compound, and housing unit levels. And it also explores different ways to bring a compact form for KHU dwellers. This descriptive and inferential research employs mainly the Survey of 234 housing units using a stratified sampling method. This was also supported by 32 qualitative interviews, an Observational study, focus group discussion, and secondary data analysis. And in the analysis, the thesis uses descriptive and statistical analysis supported by quantitative computations of correlation analysis. The results of the study reveal that the compounds with kebele housing units and the Kebele houses are the main reasons for the area to have a higher level of density in all measures when compared to average city density. According to a mix of functions, the area has a higher value in land use diversity and mixedness indexes; a low level of intensity; a higher level of efficiency; and functional incompatibility. Also the transformation of housing has influenced the density and mix of function much. The research finally stresses the need for multiple measures in both aspects that allow the construction of models and detailed descriptions to understand the urban form. It also recommends choosing a more appropriate type of measure that is fit for the context of the area. Then recommends considering all factors that influence the density and mix of functions to attain the claimed results of development. And based on the form it recommends providing housing forms, especially for the existing dwellers that enable them to transform their unit for their subsequent family or for renting