This graphic novel is the result of a micro-ethnographic research to Gerji, a district of Addis Ababa. Using graphic techniques borrowed from the architecture discipline, this graphic novel aims at bringing together representations of everyday life in the Gerji neighbourhood, that show how human life shapes its environment and vice versa. This graphic novel not only represents the architectural qualities and spatial relationships, but also reveals the hidden narratives of ordinary stories.

A solution to the urgent need for new urban housing that could translate current social cultures to the physical environment is essential to avoid further ghettoisation and provide sufficient accessibility of amenities, infrastructure and employment. Seeking the balance between resiliency and efficiency at a low environmental cost requires adopting modular, adaptive and resilient design principles that would enable affordable quality housing. For instance, the sites and services scheme could provide such a solution combining efficient use of resources and community participation, that can greatly increase the market value of the house and adapt it to users’ own needs. Circular strategies are being pursued mainly in Europe, however, are often already present in the informal sector of developing countries.
Applying alternative building principles in a developing country such as Ethiopia sets a new set of challenges in comparison to a housing scheme developed on the same values in the western world. Different conditions may be already present and therefore not necessary to recreate, for instance, the strong social network embedded in the informal sector. The goal of the design project is to explore the potential of various alternate circular strategies and solutions in low-income neighbourhoods such as Kolfe, Addis Ababa.

This research booklet brings together a selection of data and spatial analysis of Ethiopia’s and Addis Ababa’s urban transformation. This booklet uses historical maps, new maps and a selection of bibliographic references, to produce a wide range of graphic outputs that trace the urban transformation of Addis Ababa in seven stages, from its foundation (c. 1887) until the current process of urbanisation under the auspices of globalization.