Construction Management

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Browsing Construction Management by Subject "Mixed-Methods"

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    Evaluating Urban Green Infrastructure Connectivity and Microclimate Perceptions: Lessons Learned from Piassa Corridor Development, Addis Ababa
    (Addis Ababa University, 2026-06-01) Alazar Berhanu; Muluken Tilahun; Tesfaye Hailu
    apid urbanization and road corridor development in Addis Ababa present a critical challenge to the spatial integrity, microclimate, connectivity, and sustainability of the city's Urban Green Infrastructure (UGI). This study evaluates the impact of road corridor expansion on UGI in the historical Piassa area of Addis Ababa between 2015 and 2026, using a sequential mixed-methods design that integrates multi-temporal satellite Land Use/Land Cover (LULC) classification and FRAGSTATS landscape metrics with a structured survey of 60 local stakeholders and institutional Key Informant Interviews (KIIs). Within the 180-hectare study area, total vegetated cover increased by 158.9%, from 15.1 to 39.0 hectares, driven primarily by formalization of the Kechene river corridor into Arada Park. This consolidation reduced the landscape Splitting Index (SPLIT) by 92%, from a severely fragmented baseline of 182 to a corridor-anchored value of 14, while landscape cohesion rose from 34 to 82. However, these structural gains coexist with a planning paradox: persistent micro-level functional and environmental deficits along active transit axes. Survey findings show 65% of respondents perceive the area as warmer since redevelopment, 60% report inadequate pedestrian shade, and 70% observe that corridor design prioritizes vehicular traffic over ecological and public-space functions. Key informant interviews trace this gap to a systemic policy-practice disconnect, where Environmental and Social Impact Assessments (ESIAs) are prepared only after road geometries are fixed, resulting in removal of mature indigenous trees and their replacement with narrow-canopied ornamental species. The study concludes that expanding structural green cover does not automatically guarantee ecological performance or pedestrian comfort without integrated governance. It recommends sequencing ecological design before road geometry is finalized, embedding canopy continuity targets into design briefs, establishing formal pre-design public consultations, and instituting a 3:1 compensatory green-space replacement ratio for mature trees removed during construction.