Making Vacant Land Work: Assessment of Vacant Land Utilization in Wolayta Sodo Town, SNNPR, Ethiopia

Abstract

Undeveloped vacant land is an asset, but unfortunately many people don’t realize and they have not used it properly as a source of business. It is because they don’t know about business opportunity which can be applied on the undeveloped vacant land. In the heart of the study town, it is used as solid waste disposal sites, unused, and neglected are commonly observed. It seems strange that land convenient to economically vibrant areas where many people work, land that should itself have great value, lies vacant and ignored. Hence, the purpose of the study is assessing the factors that contribute to the existence of vacant land in the town and its socio-economic effects as well as to evaluate the intervention made by the town administration. The research methodology mainly concentrates on survey strategy, explanatory and descriptive research type for qualitative and quantitative approaches based on probability and non-probability sampling specifically simple random and purposive sampling technique. To conduct the study both primary and secondary data were collected. The collected data was analyzed and presented with the help of tables, bar graphs, pie charts and pictures. Poor financial capacity of the owners, market instability, land speculation, property tax burden, urban decline, neighborhood change, poor provision of loan, bureaucracy and long procedure, weak legal enforcement & implementation of rules and regulations, and inadequate provision of infrastructure & services are the observed fact that causes the existence of undeveloped vacant land. In relation to that, lower revenue collection and low tax income, reduced infrastructure development, reduced employment opportunity, discouraged investment, disputes, social crime, human health problem, plan distortion, loss of aesthetic value, and urban sprawl are observed as a major effect that were caused by the existence of the undeveloped land in the town. Based up on the findings, the researcher put possible recommendations to come up to this obscurity. Finally, this study is the first of its kind that to open a gate for other researchers, to get baseline data of the study town and other stake holders to come up with new policy options, programs, and projects.

Keywords: Undeveloped Vacant Land

DOI: 10.7176/JEES/12-7-01

Publication date:July 31^st 2022