Increasing the publicness of riversides as public space development on Kebena River, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Abstract

Abstract Introduction Public space development is important for the socio-economic and ecological conditions of cities. This study evaluated the publicness of riversides as public space development on the Kebena River in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The study identified the potentials and challenges of open spaces for public space development along the riversides of the Kebena River to increase the publicness of the riversides. Methods A comparative analysis of the publicness level of three selected open spaces along the riversides of Kebena River, namely, Wisdom Park, Minister Meda, and Agoza Meda, were done using the star model. Quantitative data were collected using site observations, document reviews, and questionnaire surveys with 169 interviewees. The land use and land cover (LULC) change detections were done for the years 2002 and 2020. Data were analyzed using SPSS, ArcGIS (Geographic Information Systems) software, and the Star model of the publicness analysis tool. Both qualitative and quantitative data were used to examine the riversides of the Kebena River. Result The results from the star model revealed that the riversides of the Kebena River could not be considered public spaces in their present conditions. This could be attributable to the abuse by the illegal settlers and urban agriculture activities. Conclusion The study depicted that the publicness of the Kebena riverside areas is very low and has a very poor public life. Publicness-oriented public spaces should be established and developed to improve and enhance the publicness level of the riversides of the Kebena River. The study contributes to scientific communities and policymakers to enhance the development of open green spaces, which may contribute towards climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies.