In developing cities across the globe, as in Addis Ababa, the number of residents is growing while the amount of good-quality housing remains low. The demand for low-income housing is rising rapidly due to the contemporary aim to eliminate the unhealthy living conditions and the influx of migrants. Without newcomers a city would not be able to grow, as internal migration is essential for urbanization. Research has shown that migration within a country can even play a role in poverty reduction and economic development. A large amount of migrants can, on the other hand, also put pressure on a city when the city fails to have the capacity to adequately house all the newcomers. In turn this may lead to the formation of informal settlements, as previously mentioned. This describes in very few words what has and still is happening in Addis Ababa.

The cities government realized at the beginning of this century that the capital suffered a tremendous housing backlog and initiated the previously mentioned IHDP with good intentions. Unfortunately the result did not live up to its initial goals or the citizens needs and expectations. Only half of the predetermined amount of units were built, thereby the construction costs increased making the units unaffordable for one of the target groups; the lower-income. This so-called urban renewal begins with clearing out the site, meaning the often clinical demolition of entire neighbourhoods. Moreover, this means that the places which used to function as a foothold, the informal settlements, are being destroyed and replaced by static housing units where the newcomers and other poor can only dream of living in.

This research and design proposal aims at investigating the importance and potential of transitory spaces within developing cities. Eventually it has the goal of providing the poor with a foothold in the city, by creating truly cheap housing for a temporary period, through the creation of a permanent structure, which encourages the individual or group to develop.

How can an affordable housing scheme in Addis Ababa be an open border that generates economic and social exchange? And how can this scheme respond to the topography and the future plans of the government?
The design of an affordable housing scheme which integrates social and economic exchange of the residents but also the city dwellers.

Addis Ababa is undergoing a fast trend of densification as people seek for job opportunities and rural to urban migration is occurring. Analysing the new developments in the city and the existing situation of the informal settlements, the project addresses a found balance between the two entities. The project introduces the implementation of the Anchor and ‘Space for time’ catering for a controlled environment with essential facilities and space for personal expression.