Informal Settlement on Green Public Space in Sululta Town: Policy and Practice

Abstract

The study aims to examine the causes, consequences of informal settlements on green public space as well as to analyze the policy constraints and institutional practice of the problem. The study was carried out in Sululta town administration of Oromiya region. The research has employed qualitative methodology and used observation, in-depth interviews, key-informants interview and focus group discussions as methods of data collection. The participants were purposively selected based on their knowledge of the study topic. The findings of the study demonstrated that the expansion of informal settlement on green public space in Sululta town is due to high demand for residential housing and low municipality response in providing residential land to the urban poor, governmental development sectors built like water reservoir and sheds for micro enterprises on these places in contradicting way with the plan, land speculators illegally occupy the places and sell to others to get more money. The consequences of the expansion of informal settlement on green public space are the ineffective and inefficient land management, social, economic, and environmental problems. There are policies in place to expand green public space in the town. However, there is no proper regulation and legal enforcement to prevent and control informal settlements on green public spaces. Another legal loophole is for the land owners to unfairly pay compensation before taking their land as public green space. Due to their discontent with the amount of compensation received, the land owners re-occupy the land designated as green space. Concerned institutions have taken different measures to control the informal settlements of green public space in the study area, including bringing informal settlers before the court, demolishing the built houses and keeping and protecting the place through social mobilization of those residing nearby the green public space. Since green public space is essential for the life of human being in the town, the municipality should establish a strong legal basis to prevent and control the practice of informal settlements on green public space in the town.