Impact of ring road on street frontage and pedestrian accessibility in the case of Bole sub-city, Addis Ababa

Abstract

The rapid pace of urbanization is having a significant impact on the environment, economy, and land. In order to mitigate these impacts, it is important to understand better how urban spatial development and road construction interact. The development of the Bole Sub City Ring Road could considerably affect local social and economic links and pedestrian circulation. Hence, this research aims to assess the impact of the Bole Sub City Ring Road's design on the street frontage and pedestrian accessibility. In order to achieve the intended objectives, quantitative and qualitative research approaches were employed in this study. A population of 321 people was surveyed using purposive sampling to gather information about the barriers to pedestrian accessibility and perceptions of built environment infrastructure in the study area. The study also employed observation and a case study approach to gather data on how urban economy interacts with ring road pedestrian crossing and how built environment infrastructure is perceived. The findings indicated that approximately 48.4% of the Bole sub-city ring road's total area had dead-end street frontage, contributing less to the road's economic function and creating safety and security issues. The inadequate building-street interaction caused by the blind street frontages reduces street activity. The ring road has impacted pedestrian accessibility in the case study locations, with a walkability index value of 0.38, indicating insufficient facilities for pedestrians in the neighborhood. The underutilized street frontages must therefore be activated by using Plug-in urban design, which is an appropriate method for pre-existing communities and urban contexts to create livable streets and apply appropriate design and management solutions. Additionally, a streetscape design that emphasizes a more human-friendly environment was created to address the numerous issues discovered during this study.