Evaluation of Urban Planning form, Structure and Morphology in Asella Town for the 1998, 2008 and 2018 Master Plans

Abstract

A master plan is a tool of urban management and development which could be a basis for other urban development plans. Hence, is an umbrella that serve as a bridge between wide area or regional plan and local development plans. The objective of the study was to evaluate the urban form, structure, and morphology in Assella town for the 1998, 2008 and 2018 master plans. The methods employed for data collection was questionaries, interviews, group discussions and field visit as well as from different documents and e-sources. The finding of the study showed that the 1998 plan of the town was developed on an area of 2,162.9 ha, the 2008 plan on an area of 4,637.9 ha of land while the 2018/19 (current plan) was established on an area of 5,382.6 ha of land, respectively. This Implied that the urban expansion plan of the town increased by 53.4 % and 13.8% in the 2008 and 2018/19 master plan, respectively. On the other hand, the study found that about 33% of the respondents answered that the urbanization problems of the town were associated with the master plan itself while 67% of them believed that it was correlated with plan implementations. Specifically, a street network and transport, town centers, economic activity corridors, business centers, housing development, drainage system, public spaces and traffic management were not explicitly designed in the town’s plan. Furthermore, the main problems associated with master plans implementation was difficulty in executing the master plan due to failed in providing compensation for lands included to the plan, rigidity of the land policy, officials (authorities) not to follow the land policy of the region, officials’ interference into the decisions of workers, employees failed to respect and perform their activities according to the plan/land policy, incapability of employees: lack of experiences, irresponsibility of the officials or politicians: no one asked for their failures, Failures of officials evaluating the implementation of the plan, and land utilized for unplanned purpose instead of for planned were pinpointed as a cause. The mentioned problems are directly affected the urban form, structure, and morphology of the town. Therefore, though the urban development and growth of the town showed a certain change through each consecutives master plan, the urbanization status was significantly retarded by the problems aroused from master plan and failure of plan implementations. Consequently, the study was recommended that fixing problems associated with the master plans, master plan implementation and averting favorable conditions that potentially hinders the master plan implementations were crucial for a sustainable urban growth and development of the town.