UNITY UNIVERSITY
DEPARTMENT OF ARCHITECTURE AND
URBAN PLANNING
LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE
GROUP MEMBERS ID NUMBER
1. ABRHAM FIKADU...................................................
2. BESHASHMICHAELTESFA ………………………UU84270R
3. KALKIDAN TSEGAYE …………………………....UU84257R
4. LEUL MEKONNEN ………………………………...UU84298R
5. OZIAN YAYEHYRAD ……………………………..UU84304R
6. RUTH FESSEHA …………………………………….UU84315R
SUBMITTED TO:-Ms.
DATE:-3/24/2024
Table of Contents
Abstract......................................................................................................................................4
INTRODUCTION......................................................................................................................5
HISTORY..................................................................................................................................6
LOCATION...............................................................................................................................7
Description of the site................................................................................................................9
River Buffer and Artificial Lake Area..................................................................................13
Scenic spots in fsp....................................................................................................................14
1. Sheger lake...................................................................................................................14
2. Light and music Fountains...........................................................................................16
Impact of the site......................................................................................................................17
Socioeconomic Benefits of Friendship Square Park................................................................18
Economic Benefits................................................................................................................18
Conclussion/Discussion...........................................................................................................18
Refrences..................................................................................................................................20
FRIENDSHIP PARK
ADDIS ABABA, ETHIOPIA
- 46.42 hectares
- Construction Initiated - oct 1 2019
- Innaugrated – sep 10 2020
Abstract
- The global expansion of urbanization is posing associated environmental and
socioeconomic challenges. The capital city of Ethiopia, Addis Ababa, is also
facing similar threats. The development of urban green infrastructures (UGIs)
are the forefront mechanisms in mitigating these global challenges.
Nevertheless, UGIs in Addis Ababa are degrading and inaccessible to the city
residents. Hence, a 56 km long Addis River Side Green Development Project
is under development
- Friendship Square Park (FSP), was established in 2019 with a total cost of
about USD 50 million. This paper was initiated to describe the establishment
process of FSP and assess its social, economic, and environmental
contributions to the city. The establishment process was described in close
collaboration with the FSP contractor, China Communications Construction
Company, Ltd
INTRODUCTION
- Urbanization is increasing globally and subsequently the number of people
living in cities is also rapidly expanding. The United Nations Department of
Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA) also forecasted that in 2030 more
than 60% of the world’s population would be living in cities. These evolving
cities are responsible for 80% of greenhouse gas emissions. The process of
urbanization and associated effects cause climate change, which is
endangering critical natural resources in and around cities, posing
unprecedented environmental and social challenges, jeopardizing the
operation of critical systems, and putting additional strain on local institutions.
- In order to combat challenges imposed by urbanization, urban green
infrastructures (UGIs) are becoming a popular strategy in different parts of the
world. Green infrastructure (GI) is an interconnected network of
multifunctional green spaces that are strategically planned and managed to
provide a range of ecological, social, and economic benefits while mitigating
the effects of rapid urbanization and climate change and improving cities’
resilience.
- In the city of Addis Ababa, the UGI components are classified into four major
sets, namely recreational parks, river and riverside green, urban agriculture,
and urban forest. In order to make Addis Ababa city very attractive, improve
its flood discharge capacity and control river pollution, the city administration
planned and launched the Addis River Side Green Development Project, that
is, the renovation of 56 km
HISTORY
- Friendship Park, is the biggest urban park in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The park is right
next to Unity Park which holds inside it a zoo, and historical archives. The park sister
park unity park was opened by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed with foreign heads of
state and government such as the presidents of Uganda, Kenya, Somalia, and prime
minister of Sudan. Sheger park was opened on 10 September 2020, seeing high level
Ethiopian government ministers, the president, and the prime minister and first lady
herself seen in the opening ceremony.
- The park is located in the political center of Addis Ababa where government offices
as the Prime Minister and parliament are next to and close by. The park has an
artificial lake, a square to gather and also water fountain lights at nighttime. It also
contains lots of flowers with diverse species of flora. It is to note that such a project
has helped Addis Ababa to greenify more and help Addis Ababa as a city enter
Bloomberg's "Best Climate Projects" for a competing to enter into 2022 C40 Cities
Bloomberg Philanthropies Awards in the future.
LOCATION
- FSP in the Addis Ababa City, Arada sub-city. The park is found in the upper
most central part of Addis Ababa, located at the Bantyiketu river side located
between 9°1′10″ N–9°1′35″ N latitude, and 38°45′20″ E–38°45′40″ E longitude
and elevation at 2375 m.a.s.l.
- FSP was selected for this study due to the fact that it has become one of the
main urban parks in Addis Ababa since 2018 and its prime location in the
central part of the city is drawing significant attention from the city dwellers.
Furthermore, the fact that the Square is located very near to the Bantyiketu
river has given it higher significance for the study.
‘ aerial photograph of the establishment area of Friendship Square Park during the
years 2002 (a), 2013 (b), and 2022 (c).
Description of the site
- Planting design is an important consideration in urban parks because trees
are one of the tools for defining outdoor open space while also providing
shape and configuration to spatial environments. Many factors need to be
taken into account when recommending locations for tree planting. In general,
the various landscape design methods applied for Friendship Square Park are
referred from Code for Design of Parks GB 51192-2016, Design
Specifications of Urban Green Space GB50420-2007 (2016 version),
Technical Specification for Planting Roofing Engineering JGJ155-2013, and
Drafting Standards of Landscape Architecture CJJ/T 67-2015. With regards to
the planting design, the park was divided into different zones whereby the
various features in the landscape, such as the river buffer zone, the central
amphitheater area, seasonal flower beds and other elements, have guided the
planting decisions.
- Furthermore, climate factors, soil characteristics, environmental conditions,
planting space, site location, existing vegetation, aesthetics, land ownership
and regulations, social influences, and maintenance requirements are all
important requirements to consider when selecting trees. Locally suitable tree
species, such as native (indigenous) tree species or tree species that have
been successfully introduced, domesticated, and widely used, are among the
criteria for selecting appropriate plants for FSP.
- The criteria for selecting planting materials of the park include locally suitable
tree species, such as native (indigenous) tree species or tree species that
have been successfully introduced, domesticated and have been widely used.
Moreover, plant materials with plant diseases and pests were strictly
prohibited. Species and variety names, as well as quantity and quality of the
seedlings, were carefully checked before bringing the seedlings to the
planting site and were subjected to local plant quarantine. The existing plants
in the site were kept in situ according to the requirement of the planting
design.
- A landscape’s potential for providing environmental services is determined by
the amount and type of green coverage it has, as well as the various
ecological entities it contains. As a result, the result of Friendship Square
Park’s land use cover change over time shows that the land cover changed
over the course of twenty years, from 2002 to 2022, with varying potential to
deliver various ecosystem services.
- Thus, prior to 2002, 91.4% of the area was covered by built-up area,
dominated by residential land use, whereas in 2013, following the removal of
the slum settlement, 61.3% of the total area changed into bare land while
13.6% was naturally developed into vegetation cover. Following the park’s
development in 2019, the green coverage of the park increased to 56.1%
while the built-up area increased to 35.8%, including the streets inside the
park with an additional ecological entity, the water feature, with 6.3% of the
total coverage
- Thus, FSP not only increased vegetation cover, but also added various
ecological entities, such as a grass lawn, a water feature with aquatic
benefits, a forest, and others.
- As a result of these additional ecological entities, the park is now equipped to
provide a variety of ecological or environmental services to the community
- Table 1. Friendship Square Park land use change trends from 2002 to 2022.
River Buffer and Artificial Lake Area
- The water feature area is one of the special features of FSP, with a total area of about
2 ha consisting of seven aquatic plants species, namely Alocasia macrorrhiza,
Pontederia cordata, Canna glauca, Nelumbo nucifera, Cyperus papyrus, Cyperus
alternifolius, and Nymphaea lotus, with 5.3% species composition and a total of 1707
seedlings. The design harmonized the artificial lake with the existing Bantyiketu river
passing along side by locating the lake close to the river. The plants recommended are
mainly aquatic plants, aromatic plants, and palms, such as Phoenix reclinate
- The other main feature of the park is the central plaza area where the amphitheater is
located. Around this area the planting design incorporated decorative trees, such as
Spathodea campolunata, Acacia abyssinica and Aurucaria excelsia. These trees, in
addition to the aesthetical value, also provide shade to park visitors
- Functionally the eastern side of the park mainly serves as main access for the public
and therefore is provided with a vast car parking lot.
Scenic spots in fsp
1. Sheger lake
- The Sheger Lake is Friendship Square's central scenic water body covering around
11,800m2 with a water volume of approximately 17.700m3. Atits deepest the lake can
be 2.5m deep. The Sheger Lake serves functions such as beautifying the environment,
irrigation water storage, increasing humidity and lowering temperature, as well as
reducing dust and noise. For a "breathable water retaining no-seepage lake bottom, it
adopts anecological sand-based breathable anti-seepage geotextile technology. The
Great Fountain in the center of the lake can spray to as high as 28m.
- The aquatic plants in the Sheger Lake can be divided into three types: emergent,
floating and submerged plants. The three are combined witheach other to form a rich
landscape effect on the water shore, and also constitute a system of water purification.
Most of the emerging plants stand out of the water, and the leaves of the floating
plants float on the water. Both can bloom gorgeous flowers to decorate the lake shore.
The submerged plants are underwater, forming an "underwater forest".
- Compared with the other two, the submerged plants provide a higher degreeof water
purification. When the plants grow, they can effectively absorb the eutrophic
substances in the water, and their roots can also absorb the eutrophic substances in the
sludge, so that silt at the bottom of the river gets thinnerThe waterproof material at the
bottom of the Sheger lake has anti-seepage sand, as well as breathable and anti-
seepage blanket, which can increase dissolved oxygen in the water, avoid black body
odor caused by the anaerobic reaction in the water, and improve the water
environment
- with the surrounding aeration fountains, naturally purifying the lake water.
Meanwhile, the Great Fountain signifies that Ethiopian ethnic groups are integrating
and striving forward.
2. Light and music Fountains
- Fountain spray pools, sprinklers and lights are all hidden under the granite floor, and
water springs out from the little holesThe Light and Music Fountain are designed with
8 types of water running spring, mist, directional water, gas explosion fountain,
dynamically changing water, jumping spring, sky-high water and flourishing flower
basket. The spray height can reach up to 26m, symbolizing the irrepressible spirit of
the people of all ethnic groups in Ethiopia and their responsibility to nourish their
homeland.
Impact of the site
- the park was established in the center of the city to integrate urban infrastructure
networks and has a location advantage for enhancing urban tourism. The park can
contribute to alleviation of unemployment rate and focuses on the economic benefits
of the country from urban tourism. Further, it serves as a reduction mechanism for
emerging social health concerns, such as COVID-19, and it has cultural spaces for
enhancing social coherence among different nations and nationalities of the country.
Socioeconomic Benefits of Friendship Square Park
Economic Benefits
- The park was completed and opened for visitors on 2 February 2021. The entrance fee
was set to be ETB 110 (equivalent to USD 2) and there is no price difference for
Ethiopians, the diaspora and foreigners. There are discount possibilities for children
and students as visitors and the entrance fee has not increased since it was first set. On
average, more than 500 people with diverse age categories visit the park per day and
the number of visitors is increasing from time to time. Therefore, the park generates
more than ETB 20 million just from the entrance fee per annum.
- The park has created a job opportunity for 65 people, which can approximately
support about 325 people. The number of visitors is usually high over the weekend as
compared to weekdays and visitors usually prefer the dry season. In the park there are
about six business centers, most of which are cafeteria services.
Conclussion/Discussion
- Friendship Square Park, located at the center of Addis Ababa city, plays important
social, environmental and economic functions that contribute to the quality of life and
enhance the appearance of the city. It provides places for physical activity, space for
leisure and recreation, improves social cohesion and interaction, contributes to the
social well-being and the health of the community, restores urban ecological
environments damaged by human activities and plays a vital role in carbon
sequestration and conserving natural resources, such as water and soil
- Urban parks are “the lung and oxygen tank of the city”. Specifically, the
environmental benefits of parks are pollution control, water management, biodiversity
and natural conservation. Consequently, the range of land cover changes of FSP in the
last 20 years will bring these values, as there is a 73.5% reduction in the built-up area,
while there is a 43% increase in green coverage of the park area. In addition, FSP
included various landscape features, such as artificial lake, flower beds and grass
lawns.
- The result of the present study is in agreement with the reports of . Moreover,
reported that incorporating water features in urban parks greatly helps in modifying
microclimate and also discussed that large urban parks have major cooling effects that
reduce the urban heat island, i.e., reduce the temperature of their surrounding up to
0.6 to 2.8 °C. In the same analogy, reported that protected areas are an important part
of the society, and provide ecosystem services, such as climate regulation and water
filtration, which benefit humans with clean air and water and elicit economic benefits.
- Friendship Square Park in Addis Ababa has been playing its social roles, such as
conducting public and cultural celebrations, hosting regional, national and
international meetings and university graduations. It also has an important role in
mitigating pandemic outbreaks, such as COVID-19, and others . All the visitors were
satisfied with the current status of the park, and they found FSP as very interesting
and excellent, this is due to the fact that until the present day the city did not have
such a type of park. development of urban tourism, modern urban parks, such as
Friendship Park, serve not only for local residents but also for foreign visitors. The
park is currently delivering various environmental, social and economic benefits.
- These kinds of parks should be developed in other sub-cities of the city as well as
regional cities of Ethiopia to increase the aesthetic, environmental and socioeconomic
values of the country, at large.
Refrences
- Kim, G.; Coseo, P. Urban park systems to support sustainability: The role of urban
park systems in hot arid urban climates. Forests 2018, 9, 439. [Google Scholar]
[CrossRef] [Green Version]
- Ketema Journal
- Multifunctional Urban Green Infrastructure Development in a Sub-Saharan
Country by Tsegaye Getahun, Sebsebe Demissew, Kalkidan Asnake Attafir and
Demsachew Guadie
