The new arrival city of Addis Ababa

Abstract

Ethiopia alone is one of the most rapidly growing countries not only in the continent of Africa but also in the whole world. The country is populated by almost 110 million inhabitants and only 20% of the whole population is living in the cities. Over 65% of the population from rural areas have started to follow the migration patterns from rural countryside to the urban settlements. The mismanaged urbanization processes create many problems that newcomers and urban poor face. The city of Addis Ababa urgently need a change in creating spaces of transition for migrants, that would sustain their lifestyle, but also offer a flexible way to adapt towards the lifestyle of the city, by providing flexible housing arrangements, where variety of socio-economic groups could dwell together, as the current attempts by the government are failing. Therefore, the project aims to create a model of a co-existing housing scheme between two lifestyle groups of urban dwellers and rural newcomers, as well as different income groups of economically weak income, low-income, middle-income and high-income people. The chosen location serves as prototype of creating a neighbourhood, where different, even conflicting, uses and users can live together and enjoy the convenience of junction. However, this work only if the variety of people are accommodated in an urban framework, that allows them to be good neighbours for each other.