Approaches, Strategies, and Policy Frameworks for the Sustainable Development of Underground Urban Spaces in the Urban Planning of Addis Ababa City - The case of Transforming Addis Ababa’s Light Rail Transit (LRT) into an Underground System

Abstract

The high pace of urbanization of Addis Ababa has exerted a lot of strain on land use, movement, and environmental sustainability. The Light Rail Transit (LRT) is the pioneer in Sub-Saharan Africa but the operations and spatial limitations of its existing above-ground structure, such as intersection congestion, poor land use, and urban landscape disruption, require resolution. It is against this background that the conversion of LRT into an underground system comes in as one of the strategic avenues to the realization of sustainable urban development. This paper will look at the methods, strategies and policy frameworks that would be needed to implement such an overhaul in the broader urban planning agenda in Addis Ababa. The engineering, environmental, and socio-economic aspects of underground urban spaces have been brought to the fore, based on international experience of other cities with well-developed underground transport systems. It suggests the strategic interventions that include underground transit integration with multi-modal networks, use of smart city technologies, and adoption of novel financial tools, including public-private partnership. The policy analysis also highlights that there is a necessity of clear underground zoning policies, revised safety and regulation policies, and good institutional coordination between local and national governments. Its results indicate that though underground LRT development involves high initial expenses, it will have long-term returns in decongestion, reclaimed urban land, improved mobility, and the resistance to the forces of urban growth. The paper concludes the study with the recommendation of gradual implementation, effective financing plans, and principles of design to be sustainable. Finally, the LRT conversion in Addis Ababa is not only a solution in transportation, but it is an opportunity to redefine the future of the city as producing a stronger, habitable, and competitive city in the world.