The Jimma Corridor: An Interdisciplinary Analysis of Urban Development, Livelihoods, and Sustainability in Southwestern Ethiopia
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Abstract
Urban corridors are increasingly recognized as strategic instruments for sustainable spatial planning in rapidly urbanizing cities of the Global South. This study presents an interdisciplinary assessment of the Jimma City Corridor Development Project (CDP) in southwestern Ethiopia, a flagship national initiative. It makes three contributions: (1) providing the first mixed-methods empirical evaluation of corridor development in an Ethiopian secondary city; (2) integrating political economy, urban ecology, and livelihoods perspectives to examine corridor impacts, and (3) identifying evidence-based policy measures to improve implementation and sustainability. Using a convergent mixed-methods approach, this study combined a stratified household survey of 388 respondents (92% response rate), geospatial analyses of land use/land cover (LULC), Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), and Land Surface Temperature (LST), together with secondary literature. The assessment focused on transportation and mobility, economic transformation, social dynamics, environmental sustainability, and recreational and cultural values. Results indicate substantial improvements in connectivity and local economic activity, reducing travel times by 20 to 30%, increasing land values by approximately 300%, and enabling 65% of formal businesses to report higher turnover. However, gaps remain in pedestrian and cycling infrastructure, informal sector adaptation, environmental management, cultural heritage conservation, and participatory governance. Ecosystem service valuation showed a 38.4% change in ecosystem value, indicating that targeted green infrastructure investments could reduce environmental losses. Overall, the Jimma corridor has advanced Ethiopia's urban development objectives, but achieving long-term sustainability requires stronger policy implementation, integrated green infrastructure, inclusive governance, ... and environmental planning. The findings support Ethiopia's national development agenda and SDG 11.
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