- Linking Non-Urbanized Areas and Eco-Sustainable Planning: Realities and Challenges from Urban Ethiopia   432 kb by    Gondo, Tendayi | gondotee@gmail.com    Short Outline The role of Non Urbanized Areas in ecosystem planning in Ethiopia is under researched despite its strategic importance. Abstract Complexity brought about by climate change and the twin processes of globalization and urbanization have seen a renewed interest in the role played by Non Urbanized Areas (NUAs) in minimizing urban pollution, defining urban and infrastructural policies and adaptation to climate change. Land use planning policies and urbanization trends in most third world countries are however threatening this role. In Ethiopia NUAs have never been studied systematically in spite of their strategic role. This analysis explores realities and challenges of fostering eco-sustainable planning through NUAs in a sample of 3 Ethiopian cities. The study utilizes survey material gathered in the period 2008/9. The pooling together of findings from such independent samples was achieved through the application of Meta analysis. Results reveal that the ecosystem service function of NUAs in Ethiopia is constrained by two major factors. On one hand is increasing urbanization that is putting a strain on limited land resources. On the other hand are weak urban planning policies that have allowed the conversion of some NUAs into illegal land uses such as informal housing, informal business activities and the illegal dumping of both solid and liquid waste. The result has been a high level of fragmented NUAs that are notably not connected into any discernable network of continuous ecosystems. Lack of a credible land use suitability strategy and the general absence of a credible land use planning system have compromised the whole situation. Only sound planning policies for NUAs that seek to restore the grid of natural ecosystems that has been broken would work for Ethiopia. Key words: ecosystem services, urban sprawl, urban planning, Land use policy, urbanization. Keywords ecosystem services, urban sprawl, urban planning, Land use policy, urbanization Case Study presented on the ISOCARP Congress 2011: LIVEABLE CITIES: URBANISING WORLD, Meeting the Challenge   Click to open the full paper as pdf document   Click to send an email to the author(s) of this paper