Unpacking Urban Resilience: Environmental Management Practices in 'Debre Birhan' City, North Shoa Zone, Amhara Regional State, Ethiopia
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Date
2024-04-01
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Addis Ababa University
Abstract
Current research advocates that studies in cities of developing countries need special attention related to environmental management practices. Accordingly, this study aims to investigate the variables affecting environmental management practices and environmental management tools implemented based on household and key informants' opinions and perceptions of the experts on resilience thinking applied to environmental management practices of Debre Birhan City. Data were collected through questionnaires and expert interviews using KoboCollect and site observations. The results are analyzed using Pareto, Best Worst Method (BWM), and land use land cover change analysis using ArcGIS 10.8. The study used both random and purposive sampling techniques. Three hundred ninety-five (395) households and twenty-two (22) experts were contacted to collect data for the study. Accordingly, the result revealed eleven environmental, nine physical, ten social, and four institutional vital variables; Seven, five, four, and six environmental management tools for environmental, physical, social, and institutional factors were identified, respectively; and six resilience principles in the city. The BWM weight values rank waste management and expropration (0.5625) first, urban planning elements (0.3125) second, and lack of urban green and recreation (0.1250) third based on households.In contrast, experts ranked waste management and pollution (0.4838), lack of urban green and recreation (0.3225), and lack of urban planning elements (0.1935) ranked first, second, and third, respectively. Urban amenities and services (0.5932) and poor infrastructures (0.2373) are households' and experts' top physical variables, respectively. The city's most critical social variables are access-related and polluted industries. Promoting urban agriculture, improving road conditions, land use planning and zoning (compatibility), and collaboration among concerned institutions are the most implemented environmental management tools for environmental, physical, social, and institutional factors. Diversity and integration are the principles that are applied the most and least in environmental management practices. The study, therefore, recommends the enforced application of resilience principles as environmental management tools in environmental management policy documents to improve sustainability in the city.
Keywords: Urban resilience; urban factors, Pareto Analysis; Environmental Management practices; Resilience-based management strategies;