Kumera Eyasu, Woldetensae Berhanu
Technical University of Berlin (TUB), Berlin, Germany.
Ethiopian Institute of Architecture, Building Construction and City Development (EiABC), Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Heliyon. 2023 May 5;9(5):e15817. doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e15817. eCollection 2023 May.
Special economic zones (SEZs) are places of exception with specific regimes and territorial boundaries that are effectively secluded from the rest of their surroundings. Ethiopia adopted SEZ development programs recently as an instrument of industrialization in its economic policy framework. This study tries to examine the triggering effect of SEZs in bringing socio-spatial transformations to their surroundings and host cities based on the enclave urbanism conceptual framework. The study considered Bole Lemi-1 (BL-1) and Eastern Industry Zone (EIZ) SEZs in Ethiopia. It used satellite images, a household survey, key informant interviews, observations, and a review of secondary sources to gather data. Spatio-temporal satellite images were obtained from the United States Geological Survey for 2008, 2014, and 2021. Randomly selected 384 households residing within 5 km radius of the SEZs were surveyed. Land use land cover (LULC) change analysis detected a consistent rise in the built-up area at the expense of shrinking farmlands and open spaces. The survey results reflect socio-cultural, economic, and environmental changes witnessed around the zones, while other stakeholders, including experts and officials, question the claimed transformation. The Mann-Whitney U tests (α = 0.05) result revealed significant statistical differences between EIZ and BL-1 in terms of socio-cultural and environmental transformations. In contrast, perceptions towards economic change showed no statistical differences. While the perspectives reflected in the study are open to continuous debate and further nuance before making bold conclusions, the analyses on the case SEZs signify the juxtaposition feature of zone permeability and enclaveness. We contend that the socio-spatial shifts triggered by the SEZs remain elusive unless pre-engineered with clear objectives and indicators at the outset. SEZ's development policy agendas recommended engraining a porous-enclave principle in their development blueprint.
经济特区（SEZs）是具有特殊制度和领土边界的特殊区域，实际上与周边其他地区隔离开来。埃塞俄比亚最近采用了经济特区发展计划，将其作为经济政策框架中的工业化手段。本研究试图基于飞地城市化概念框架，考察经济特区对其周边地区和所在城市带来社会空间转型的触发效应。该研究以埃塞俄比亚的博莱莱米-1（BL-1）经济特区和东部工业区（EIZ）经济特区为研究对象。它利用卫星图像、家庭调查、关键信息人访谈、观察以及二手资料回顾来收集数据。时空卫星图像取自美国地质调查局2008年、2014年和2021年的数据。对随机抽取的居住在经济特区半径5公里范围内的384户家庭进行了调查。土地利用土地覆盖（LULC）变化分析发现，建成区持续增加，而农田和开放空间则不断减少。调查结果反映了经济特区周边地区在社会文化、经济和环境方面的变化，而包括专家和官员在内的其他利益相关者则对所谓的转型提出质疑。曼-惠特尼U检验（α = 0.05）结果显示，在社会文化和环境转型方面，东部工业区经济特区和博莱莱米-1经济特区之间存在显著的统计差异。相比之下，对经济变化的看法没有统计学差异。虽然本研究中反映的观点在得出大胆结论之前仍有待持续辩论和进一步细化，但对案例经济特区的分析表明了特区渗透性和飞地性的并列特征。我们认为，除非一开始就预先设定明确的目标和指标，否则经济特区引发的社会空间转变仍难以捉摸。经济特区的发展政策议程建议在其发展蓝图中融入多孔飞地原则。
