FIG Peer Review Journal

Assessing Urban Land Governance in Ethiopian Cities (2002-2011): Lessons for the 2011 Urban Land Management Policy Implementation (7477)

Berhanu Alemie, Jaap Zevenbergen and Rohan Bennett (Netherlands)

Mr. Berhanu Alemie
PhD Fellow
University of Twente
Faculty of ITC
Hengelosestraat 99,
Enschede
7500 EA
Netherlands

Corresponding author Mr. Berhanu Alemie (email: b.k.alemie[at]utwente.nl, tel.: +31 (0)53 487 4444)

Published on the web 2015-03-31
Received 2014-10-20 / Accepted 2015-02-07

This paper is one of selection of papers published for the FIG Working Week 2015 in Sofia, Bulgaria and has undergone the FIG Peer Review Process.

FIG Working Week 2015
ISBN 978-87-92853-35-6 ISSN 2307-4086
http://www.fig.net/resources/proceedings/fig_proceedings/fig2015/index.htm

Abstract

The people and lands of Ethiopia partake in the global movement towards urbanization. However, the land-people interfaces in these areas are considered far from sustainable. This paper explores this assumption through the analytical lenses of land governance and land administration from 2002-2011 in three cities of Ethiopia. A SWOT analysis technique with an additional priority component is employed. The SWOT analysis indicates that land administration and land governance in the case study cities from 2002-2011 were affected by the absence of independent responsible institution at the federal and region levels, difficulty in coordination between the existing institutions, a lack of societal participation and transparency, and weak enforcement of laws and spatial plans. Priority areas that should improve these shortcomings are identified and future strategic planning to tackle the deficits identified should consider these priorities. Overall, this study provides lessons for the implementation of the 2011 urban land policy and its laws in the processes of improving the challenges of urbanization in Ethiopia.

Keywords: Cadastre; land administration; urban land governance; urban land policy

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