Governance, Planning and Management of Green Infrastructure in Addis Ababa
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Date
2022-12-01
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Addis Ababa University
Abstract
Green infrastructure is a strategically planned network of natural and semi-natural areas aimed to achieve sustainable development. This infrastructure is shaped by governance approaches, planning, and management of natural resources. Many studies on green infrastructure have been conducted before, while research gaps remain on the governance of planning and management using evaluation criteria for spatial planning, green infrastructure planning principles, green space management models and governance principle, forest management policy approach, governance approaches, and green space fragmentation. The main objective of this thesis is to investigate governance, planning, and management of green infrastructure. The study, therefore, employed a mixed-method approach, quantitative and qualitative research methods. Empirical data were gathered using surveys, interviews, expert panel discussion, document analysis, and observation. Probability and non-probability sampling were used. The Probablity sampling was used to select household respondents and the non probability sampling used to select experts, park users, park staffs, park service contractors, key informants, and expert panel discussants. The data sources were primary and secondary. Using survey method, the primary data were collected from 74 experts, 70 park users, 15 park staff, 5 park service contracors, and 570 household respondents. In addition, 20 key informant interviews and one expert panel discussion were conducted. The secondary data were obtained from documents literature and web sources. The findings of this thesis revealed that green infrastructure has been at the initial stage of planning and there are gaps in the way spatial planning includes GI concepts, components, functions,and principles;relying on an authoritarian model of output-legitimacy, sectoral approach, and uncoordinated land-use led to weak governance of UGI planning; the conversion of green spaces, fragmentation, and governance process challenges; the evolution of forest policy characterized by a focus on different kinds of the forest, from production forest, plantation of trees, and to the inclusion of multi functional forests in the plan; unclear and sometimes blurred division of power contributed to deforestation; the shift in the country’s forest policy was embedded in the political economy of the country and emphasized a dominantly elitist approach; changes in planning and environmental policies; significant association between age and environmental knowledge, green space uses, and recognition of ecosystem services, income are the best predictors of government policy,and respondents are more willing to the management of green spaces.v Besides,the shift from the master plan approach to the structure plan help to incorporate ecosystem services and some of GI principles, and the increasing proportion of green structures in the present structure plan can be due to some changes in the role of the government; there is no comprehensive GI policy that can provide a strategic vision for embedding GI in spatial plans; the first, third, and fourth principles were poorly integrated into the plan. While the second principle is being moderately integrated into the plan; the interference of politicians and limited regional and national policy of GI shows little attention is given to the development of UGI; poor park governance practices, however, there is a tendency towards the application of governance by local communities using the User-Centered Model whereby community green spaces are managed by urban communities; changes in forest management show the move from government to governance by the government; the absence of a specific legal framework and policy on GI management and urban forest and recognizing, supporting the activities, and using the potential and preferences of residents will be important. Therefore,incorporating green infrastructure planning principles, adapting park management models that incorporate three levels of governance, long-term design for additional recreational areas; a governance arrangement that includes participation and inter and cross-sectoral policy approaches; developing zoning regulations, land use plans in a participatory and transparent manner,and the shift from government to governance are needed for sustainable green infrastructure development. the need to focus on a long-term design that encompasses additional recreational areas and to establish integrated green space management. Adapting the strategic park management and park-organization-user model that incorporates three governance levels is also important. Besides, applying a policy arrangement approach is a useful analytical tool to understand and explain the role of actors and policy ch angesin forest managements. Resident’s input is necessary for policies and plans. In Ethiopian urban areas, green infrastructure planning and management governance could be improved by using a framework developed for the governance of green infrastructure planning and management to address the future green infrastructure development based on three pillars.
Keywords: Green Space Management; Park Management Models; Policy Approach: Spatialplans; Urban Planning