Bahir Dar - Creating a Sustainable Vision & Waterfront Plan

Our CUI project team has been working in Bahir Dar for over a month now to collaborate with the City Administration & Regional Urban Planning Institute (RUPI) on a 10 Year Sustainable Vision & Waterfront Plan.

RUPI has provided us with guidance and background information and data, while our team has been managing the planning process. We have reviewed and prepared background research, identified issues and developed supporting goals, principles and design strategies to frame the project vision. It has been a multi-stage, stakeholder-driven, and design-based initiative marked by a number of public consultation meetings. Guided by the City’s previous Local Development Plan (LDP) and recent Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) targets, the project approaches development through the lens of sustainability – balancing the socio-economic needs of the waterfront community with that of the environment.

A successful planning process is grounded in a strong and reasonable set of goals and principles. In this plan the City of Bahir Dar & public stakeholders helped us establish a clear VISION: “to create a vibrant, livable and sustainable waterfront that provides for the social and economic needs of its people”. Through publicly approved municipal policy, consultation meetings and design charrettes, we then developed 5 fundamental principles to provide the logic for sustainable development. These principles represent simple but informative rules for the design of Bahir Dar’s waterfront, including but not limited to: (1) public access to the waterfront and its natural areas; (2) green, beautified and sanitary infrastructure & design; (3) mixed-use corridors; (4) appropriate housing and jobs for all; and, (5) access to urban-rural linkages.

A healthy Lakeshore & Riverfront ecosystem provides vital goods and services to the City of Bahir Dar. Given the growing ethic of sustainability, our CUI team is focusing on creating a Plan that looks at the greater City Waterfront Boundary and areas sensitive to development pressure. Through meetings with the Mayor & Cabinet, Government Officials, Experts, University Students and the general public, we are just in the midst of establishing clear strategies for the western, central & eastern edges of the Lake Tana & Blue Nile River Waterfront. The eastern wetland area, on the one hand, consists mostly of informal settlement, agricultural activity and fringes of development. The central Downtown Core, on the other, has high population density, continued investment opportunities and a threatened natural environment. The far western shore (surrounding the Abagerina Peninsula) shows yet another reality, one that is under-utilized and soon to experience development pressures from the expansion of the downtown core and fishing docks.

Once our team finalizes the 10 Year Vision & Waterfront Plan, it will only be useful if it assists the City to achieve the project’s goals and principles. The intent of the Vision is to serve as a useful, illustrative image of what the future might look like. It is also meant to guide planning by informing government policy and decision-making.

The question then remains in my mind – will the plan in fact guide government decision-making? I can’t wait to see.

Ciao from Bahir Dar!

Krystie