Urban Planning Proclamation No. 574/2008.

This Proclamation provides rules relative to spatial and development planning in urban centres in Ethiopia. It establishes a legal framework in order to promote planned and well developed urban centres and regulates and facilitates development activities in urban centres to enhance economic development of the country. An urban centre is defined as any locality with established municipality or having a population size of 2000 or above inhabitants, of which 50 percent of its labour force is primarily engaged in non-agricultural activities.
Physical boundaries of urban centres shall be demarcated by regional authorities. A structure plan shall take into account environmental aspects, in particular Art. 11/3/f requires any local development plan to state, among others, green areas, open spaces, water bodies, and places that might be utilized for common benefits. The Proclamation sets out the procedure for the adoption of plans including public hearings. It also provides for an authorization of development, reallocation of land for public purposes, a stop that may be imposed on development by authorities, the right to obtain information regarding the status of land and the reservation of land for public purposes.