Green Space Development In Urban Wetland For The Healthy Interaction Of Community The Case Of Cheleleka Lake, Bishoftu Town

Abstract

Ethiopia owns different types of wetlands which provide enormous socio-economic and environmental values. Despite all those and other indispensable values, these wetlands are under severe pressure and degradation. Due to improper extraction of uses and misconceptions forwarded to wetlands, the health of the wetlands is continuously decreasing from time to time that in doubt their existence in the near future. Traditional and modern agricultural expansions, continuous land degradations, urbanizations and industrializations, lack of policies and institutional arrangements, lack of capacities, natural and ecological problems are the most dominant challenging factors of wetlands in the country. Hence, this thesis aimed is to assess the existing condition of wetlands of Lake Cheleleqa and to design a green space that can integrate community activities and wetland ecosystems without harming one another. The study has collected data from residents around the wetland by using questionnaire and interview to assessing the existing condition of wetlands and identifying factors that affecting the wetlands. Accordingly, wetland preservation and development of Green space as primary criteria, Based on the analysis result, the paper proposed a wetland park with different access like additional roads for vehicle as well as for pedestrians, proposed zoning of uses like playing areas central and walkway plazas road access plan, parking lots, footpath alongside water body, artificial ponds, organized public open space, storm water collection mechanisms to the lake and agricultural lands.