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Best and worst urban and traffic spaces

in Bishoftu, Ethiopia

Presenters
Eldana Menigsteab
Eyob Desalegn
Foziya Mengistu
Gebregziabher Anteneh
Ismael Jelal
Jiregna Merera
Henery Alemayehu
Rina Abdurahman
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Introduction
To leverage the potential of digital methods for sustainable urban mobility planning in Ethiopia,
A cooperative study was conducted titled Integrated urban Mobility (INUMO) in Bishoftu, Ethiopia
with the cooperation between EiABC and BUW. A study data collection was done by Third year
Urban and regional planning students of EiABC. Thus following up we tried to identify the best and
The worst places in Bishoftu, Ethiopia we observed.

The parameters that were used are

Land use - Access to service and commercial activities, effective and efficient use of space

Street - Based on connectivity and accessibility

Housing condition - Based on block typology

Environment - Based on pollution, green development and lake utilization.

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Best place
4
Worst place

4 3
2

2
5

1
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Best place #1 Residential neighborhood 1

• The spaces has mixed use of activities

• It has good housing condition.
• There is an adequate youth recreational center. 3
• It has good connectivity to different parts of the city and city center
• Residential units have plant buffer that separate from the manufacturing area.
• It has diversified land use.
• The streets are in good condition.
• The residential streets are wide and pedestrian-friendly.
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Best place #2 Main-city street 1

• The land use in this area is diverse, that it has Living, working and recreational facilities
within walking distance.
3
• Environmentally, there are greeneries at the side of the main street that serve for
recreational purposes.
• The streets have wide pedestrian ways with greenery that encourages walking and cycling.
• Due to it’s location the area has great economic potential, that’s why it is dominated by
commercial buildings.
• The buildings in the area are mostly in a good condition
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Best place #3 Green housing neighborhood 1

• Residential units have plant buffer that separate from the street and the manufacturing area
• It has good housing condition
• There is recreational area with kids play ground
• It is found around the city center
• It has condominium residential with many households in small area common green spaces
• The streets are in good condition
• It has wide residential streets
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Best place #4 Bishoftu guda lake 1

• Most of the area around the lake is occupied by luxury Hotels and resorts.
• Effective use of local resource; generate income by adding values to the lake and 3
landscape of the area.
• Easily accessible from most part of the town
• Clean and calm environment.
• Low air and sound pollution due to its distance from the center of the city.
• It has a great potential in tourist attraction.
• Provides different recreational alternatives for the residents and strangers.
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Best place #5 Kuriftu Lake 1

• The majority of the land surrounding the lake is occupied by luxury hotels and resorts
• Effective use of local resources; produce income by adding value to the lake and the 3
surrounding landscape;
• Because of its distance from the city core, it has little air and sound pollution.
• It is easily accessible from the majority of the city.
• There is a water park and other leisure options available.
• Adjacent agricultural practices for income generation.
• Clean and calm environment with places of worship nearby.
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Worst place #1 Dense mixed settlement 1

2
• The land use features are not appropriately introduced within the area.
• Streets are not built in a safe and comfortable way.
• The site contains little amount of vegetation, making it uncomfortable for living.
• Houses are found in a bad condition lacking different basic infrastructures.
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Worst place #2 Abandoned space 1

• Most of the land in the area is abandoned and it is left open without any use or management.
3
• There are incompatible land uses together within short distance; for example industry and
residence.
• The streets are in a very bad condition, they are unsuitable for both vehicular and pedestrian
access.
• Environmentally, the streets and open lands lack any kind of vegetation cover for shades and
recreation purposes.
• Houses are far from each other and there is week social interaction between the residents.
• The area is economically dead; it doesn’t host any commercial activity.
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Worst place #3 Inadequate living area 1

• Social segregation and weak social relationship exists. 2

• Roads are not compatible with land use and the topography of the area.
• The area has a poor basic infrastructures like sewer lines, water supply and electricity.
• Housing condition is relatively good in terms of building materials but in general
the area contains housings that are not comfortable for living.
• The environment and roads are not pedestrian friendly; their is poor vegetation
coverage which makes it vulnerable to harsh sunlight during day times, besides
its found in a mountainous region their is also danger of flood and land slides.
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Worst place #4 Industrial area in the center of the city 1

• It has long blocks that are boring to go through 2

• Because it is busy and lacks a separate pedestrian walkway, the roadway is hazardous and
unsuitable for pedestrians.
• Manufacturing industry adjacent to residential units in the city center
• It is not active and is not utilized by pedestrians.
• It affects the city's image badly.
• Long blocks are unsafe at night and are vulnerable to various thefts.
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Worst place #5 Overcrowded market 1

• Streets are very crowded this is because their are informal commercial activities done on the 2
road which decreases the pedestrian and vehicular movement in a safe and comfortable way.
• Informal Commercial activities dominate the area.
• Their is solid waste pollution which affects social, economical and health aspects of peoples
lives.
• Vehicular movement dominates the area which makes it uncomfortable for pedestrians
• The bad look of the area affects the view of Bishoftu in a negative way.
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General Observations During Our Site Visit in Bishoftu

The previous places are the best and the worst places according to our observation. But there are
several places that are very good and also bad in terms of those evaluation parameters.

Here are some general overviews of Bishoftu city:

• Effective use of local resources. Eg. Lake and landscape

• Most of the streets are in a bad condition and they are not pedestrian friendly
• The land use of Bishoftu is characterized by:
- Commercial use are common along main streets and around the lake
- Most of the area is dominated by residential use.
- Services are not distributed fairly within the city
• High level of social interaction
• It is a tourist attraction for it’s beautiful lakes and resorts
• It has a serious problem of waste management system.
• Most of the areas lack basic infrastructures such as water supply, sewer lines, road network
• Existence of several industries within the city center
• High transportation connectivity to other towns such as Addis Ababa, Dukem and Adama.
Thank you for your attention