Spatial Urban Expansion and Land Tenure Security in Ethiopia: Case Studies from Bahir Dar and Debre Markos Peri-Urban Areas

This study analyzes urban expansion and the peri-urban land tenure security situation in Amhara National Regional State of Ethiopia, taking Bahir Dar and Debre Markos as case studies. To detect the extent of urban expansion, data from Landsat satellite images were analyzed using ERDAS IMAGINE, ENVI, and ArcGIS segmentation, classification, and mapping tools. The land tenure security situation was assessed through interviews with local farmers. Analysis shows high rates of spatial urban expansion, but stagnating levels of property registration and certification among peri-urban landholders, affecting their feelings of land tenure security. Though Ethiopia's efforts to impart land tenure security by implementing low-cost land registration programs in rural areas are promising, the programs in peri-urban areas are underdeveloped, and these areas are subject to expropriation due to urban expansion. Policies for more sensitive growth are needed in rapidly developing places like these.