A Spatial Analysis of Urban-Industrial Development in Ethiopia

Now reissued with a new preface by the author, this book was originally published in 1982 at a time when increasing emphasis was being given to regional development planning in many developing countries. This new emphasis arose from the conviction that the spatial organization of activities fundamentally affects national rates of economic growth as well as the distribution of benefits to the greatest number of people. This study analyses the spatial organization of the Ethiopian urban system, the structure and socio-economic characteristics or the urban areas and the locational decisions of firms in the country. It also examines the extent to which infrastructure investment in Ethiopia in the 20th century affected the development of urban areas with regard to growth and their potential to attract new industries.

Mulatu Wubneh is a professor (Emeritus) of planning at East Carolina University, Greenville, NC., and Ambassador Distinguished Scholar at the Gondar University, Ethiopia. He is the author of several books and articles on planning, urbanization, infrastructure and development in Ethiopia. Wubneh has also served as director and department head of the planning program at East Carolina University (North Carolina); an adjunct faculty at the Africa Center for Strategic Studies (Washington, D.C.); and as a program officer for the African Capacity Building Foundation (World Bank) responsible for projects in Kenya, Uganda, Nigeria and Ghana; and consultant at the World Bank, USAID, and the UNDP on African capacity building programs. In 2013 he served as a Fulbright Scholar at EIABC (School of Built Environment) at Addis Ababa University, and since 2018 he has been serving as an Ambassador Distinguished Scholar at the Gondar University.

1.Principles and Problems of Spatial Economy 2. Urbanization and Urban Development in Ethiopia 3. Socio-Economic Characteristics of Urban Areas in Ethiopia 4. Industrial Development in Ethiopia 5. Determinants of Industrial Location 6. Infrastructure and Spatial Development 7. Summary and Conclusion. Appendices: A Size of Urban Areas Under Study B. Variables Used in Principal Component and Regression Analyses C. Surveys D. Indices E. Questionnaires