The Transformation of Addis Ababa

Nowhere in Africa is urban development occurring as rapidly as in Ethiopia’s capital city, Addis Ababa, at the present moment. During the last decade and a half, massive construction projects in housing, commercial buildings and infrastructure have transformed the landscape of the city, creating a social experiment that has never been replicated on such a massive scale in Africa. This volume, written by Ethiopian and Finnish experts in urban planning, architecture, geography, and ethnology, documents for the first time Addis Ababa’s process of radical transformation. It asks how the city’s poorest residents are affected by the current urban renewal, and identifies the most important challenges facing the city’s residents as a result. Its conclusions focus on three issues: the livelihoods of low-income residents, their participation in the development of the city, and their social networks of support.

This volume also traces out the organic forms of the city’s development. Unlike cities in many other African countries, Addis Ababa emerged with only the thinnest traces of a brief colonial legacy: only five years under Italian occupation in the mid-20th century. The city’s development has eluded many planners and has produced unique indigenous forms of urban living. The book records the current spatial relationships and older architectural forms in the old inner city currently slated for demolition. Numerous maps and illustrations are included to help readers visualize the topics discussed in the volume. The volume will be of interest to anyone interested in Addis Ababa’s history and character, as well as policymakers, urban planners, architects, human geographers, ethnographers and researchers of urban poverty and urban informality.