CASA Seminar Series 2024: Bikila Merga Leta

Adama is the second most populous city in Ethiopia and experiences frequent flash floods that have a detrimental impact on the community’s livelihood. To this effect, this study emphasizes the significance of conducting a comprehensive investigation to identify flood-resilient neighbourhoods in Adama City.

By considering the existing spatial pattern and morphology that are resilient to urban flooding, the city can enhance its flood management strategies in the future. The findings of this study demonstrate varying levels of spatial connectivity within Adama City. Detailed examination of two neighbourhoods identified through space syntax analysis with high and low spatial connectivity revealed important insights into flood resilience.

The high-connective neighbourhoods exhibited well interconnected street systems with manageable street spacing, facilitating efficient runoff flow and effective flood management during flooding events. These neighbourhoods also had shorter block sizes with frequent intersections, promoting better water drainage and reducing the risk of flooding during heavy rain events. The grid pattern observed in these areas allowed for efficient water runoff through multiple drainage paths, including the street surfaces. On the contrary, neighbourhoods with low spatial connectivity exacerbated urban flooding. The lack of connectivity and abundance of dead-end streets posed challenges for flood evacuation during emergencies. Irregular block arrangements disrupted the natural drainage system, aggravating the potential for urban flooding. These findings have implications for other flood-prone areas of neighbourhoods in Adama City and similar urban areas in the global south on how human settlements are arranged spatially to mitigate urban flood vulnerability.

Bikila Merga Leta is an Assistant Professor in the Architecture Department at Addis Ababa Science and Technology University in Ethiopia. He is a practicing landscape architect and urban planner with a strong academic background. He completed his PhD in Urban and Regional Planning from the Technical University of Dortmund (Germany) and Addis Ababa University’s Ethiopian Institute of Architecture, Building Construction and City Development (AAU, EiABC). In addition to his doctorate, he holds an MSc in Landscape Architecture from the Free University of Brussels and Addis Ababa University, as well as a BSc in Urban Planning from Addis Ababa University. His research focuses on spatial analytics, urban development, urban flood resilience, urban sustainability, green infrastructure, and the application of GIS, remote sensing, and satellite imagery.

For the full seminar series please see:

https://www.ucl.ac.uk/bartlett/casa/events/2024/oct/casa-seminar-series-2024-25-term-1

Any queries please contact The CASA Communications Team at [email protected]

Host or Publisher The Bartlett Centre for Advanced Spatial Analysis