Urban Land Use Conflict in Expansion Areas of Wolayta Sodo Town, Snnpr, Ethiopia

Abstract

The previous studies on urban land use conflicts indicated that extensive negative effects on economic, social, spatial and ecological development, especially in peri-urban areas. The study assessed the causes and effects of urban land use conflicts in peri-urban areas and its measures to prevent in Wolayta Sodo town. The survey design method was employed as a case study approach targeting in peri-urban areas households or landowners population. From the total nineteen administrative kebeles of the town, eight kebeles selected as clusters and from which five kebeles randomly selected. Questionnaires were to 357 households administered from each cluster selected by simple random sampling techniques. Focus group discussions were employed with town municipality and sub-city, and local chief and police. Additionally, key informant interviewee addressed with regional, zonal, and Wolayta Sodo town municipality Urban Development and Housing department. Spatial data collected from field survey, and satellite imagery. Purposefully three types of urban land use conflict selected and analyzed. Data analysis tools were MS-excel, Likert scale and GIS software. The finding shows that the dumping soil on the road reserve, land encroachment, boundary dispute, and land grabbing were frequently occurred. Also, the finding indicated that land usufruct right conflicts and degradation of road access were prevailed in expansion areas of the town. The major causes for an urban land use conflicts in the area were lack of land ownership documents, double allocation of urban plots, inadequate compensation for landholders and their children’s inheritance rights, poor land governance, and forcibly expropriating. The other causes are inadequate planning and non-implementation of planning regulations, and lack of public participation in urban development agenda. The effects were social, environmental, and economical to the society. Therefore, the study recommends immediate adequate planning, public awareness and implementation measures, creating an efficient and effective land management system, professional ethics and policing, and paradigm shift on issues related to land uses.Keywords: land use conflicts, peri-urban, preventions, resolutionDOI: 10.7176/JRDM/52-01