Browsing by Author "Dagim Asfaw"

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    Identifying and Designing Potential Greenways Using GIS, the Case of Hawassa City
    (EiABC, 2018-12) Adinew Dinku ; Dagim Asfaw
    Rapid development and urbanization have to consider the natural environment for today as well as for the future. The natural environment in Hawassa is being compromised due to rapid urban development, this has led to the fragmentation of its natural mosaic. Due to fragmentation, the natural system is disconnected, connectivity of ecological service is disturbed, resulting in flood, and air pollution. In other countries, greenways, by their multi-dimensional benefits, have solved these problems. Connecting the fragmented natural environment of Hawassa by greenways could benefit in various ways; ecological service enhancement, environmental protection, and alternative transportation, reconnected flow of wildlife, livable environment, and socio-economic enhancement. The main objective of this study was identifying and designing the potential greenways of Hawassa city. All the greenway systems offer solutions for balancing the rapid development with the natural environment. The following main tasks were designed to attain the objectives; assessment of potential areas, assessment of suitable landscape, and delineation of potential greenway network and detail design on a specific site was conducted to ease integration and implementation at local scale. The designed greenway networks fulfilled the intended functions of ecological, socio-economic, alternative transportation provision and urban environmental protection to a large extent and local scale. In this regard, the study attained promotion of local and urban access with greenways, aesthetic aspects of urban landscapes, improved recreational opportunities, improved performance and distribution of activities by greenways, an increase of efficiency and environmental aspects in the city and improved social values considering economic sustainability. A method used for suitability of landscape and city scale greenway network were delineated based on the recommendations suggested by different researchers on Geographical information system (GIS) and Least cost path( LCP) as tools. Greenways were identified using those tools. City scale greenway network was planned and selected action area was designed based on urban design procedures on the greenway framework, ecological network service, socio-cultural benefits, and alternative transportation. Finally, challenges and other issues are listed. Recommendation for Hawassa city administration and other stakeholders were forwarded for future planning and to point out the direction of research on the issue.
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    Street Names: Directories of Mental Maps and Business in Commercial Areas Cases from Commercial Areas of Addis Ababa
    (Addis Ababauniversity, 2005-06) Dagim Asfaw; Wubshet Birhanu
    The main objective of this research is to find out the relationship between pedestrian orientation and street naming by analyzing the mental maps created as a result of the physical urban environment in commercial areas. Identifying the impact of street naming which emanates from mental maps on trade is the core objective of the paper. The lack of proper addressing systems especially of functional street names in most African Cities has a deep-rooted problem in the absence of proper urban planning and design principles. The need to grow towards global economy, which is based on the presence of functional addressing system, seems neglected in the day-to-day transactions in the commercial areas of Addis Ababa. Therefore, the addressable objects that buyers and sellers mostly use must be those, which are persistent to urban change and are able to create the strongest mental image in the observers mind, namely the streets. In this research, street patterns current trends of addressing and their impact on trade are studied by implementing basic urban design principles. The case study method is used in the study by selecting three commercial areas in Addis Ababa. This study shows that both street design and naming are weak in the commercial areas and hence pedestrian orientation is loose in those areas. Factors which contribute to this urban problem are: absence of properly designed streets in the commercial centers, absence of street names and where they exist, the weak link between the existing names and their use by pedestrians for commercial activities. Based on the findings, street names in commercial areas can be generated from the dominant physical element in the mental maps of pedestrians and the dominant business in that locality. Thus, the research shows that street names in commercial areas will be effective if they are considered as a directory of mental maps and business in commercial areas. The findings of the study are believed to clarify the link between street design, street naming and trade in commercial areas. The study is based on the cases from Addis Ababa. However, it is believed that it will also serve to be a component of the background paper for the UNECA initiative Functional Addressing System for Africa