Sustainability and open space the spatial sustainability of open spaces in new condominium neighbourhoods of addis ababa
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Date
2014-07
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Addis Ababauniversity
Abstract
Neighbourhoods are becoming basic planning entities in the modern planning industry and there is a great attitude and tendency in the planning process to make neighbourhoods vital, safe, and beautiful places to live in. For this achievement greater significance is given to the design and management of public open spaces of neighbourhoods. Addis Ababa, the capital city of Ethiopia and the diplomatic capital of Africa, is developing new neighbourhoods mainly through the grand housing program of the city. These new neighbourhoods in the perspective of the current open space problem of the city is a worth mentioning success. But in the arena of development it needs to be assessed and evaluated from the sustainability point of view. The general objective of the study is evaluating and assessing the sustainability of open spaces in new condominium neighbourhoods of Addis Ababa. The study focuses mainly on their physical sustainability, which is one parameter to the three dimension of sustainable human settlement development: environmental/physical, social, and economic. Thus the study asses and examine the sustainability of open spaces of the new condominium neighbourhoods in Addis Ababa, with a focus on their spatial dimension, by taking Gerji neighbourhood as a case study site. The study utilized a qualitative case study method. To do so interviews with the residents and personal long-term observation are carried on. The open spaces of the new neighbourhoods are analyzed according to the different activities exercised, landscaping objects, accessibility and security, and their distribution. By doing so, the study analyzes how activities and objects contribute to and accessibility, security, and distribution enhance the spatial sustainability of the open spaces. The analysis and findings clearly show that there is a difficulty in planning, implementation, and management of the open spaces in the new condominium neighbourhoods. The open spaces currently do not have owner. Their utilization, for the different activities going on, is very arbitral and according to the interest of individual residents. There are no objects or landscaping elements in the open spaces. And their physical status is above left over spaces but not developed and administered to its minimum standard. The success on the distribution and potential on the accessibility and security shows the potential of the open spaces to be the would be places of the neighbourhood. In general terms, the results show that the open spaces have problems related with their spatial sustainability