Urban redevelopment-Induced displacement and Temporary resettlement The case of residents displaced from legehar to basha wolde Chilot condominium
No Thumbnail Available
Date
2022-11-01
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Addis Ababa University
Abstract
Displacement of inner city residents followed by resettlement usually takes place for the implementation of urban redevelopment projects. These projects are either comprehensively planned early on, including the plans of resettlement, or otherwise enabled based on the need of the actors who initiated them. The latter context usually encounters complications at implementation and displacement with resettlement proceeds haphazardly. Also, the resettlement could take place as temporary: it is the uncertain stage and city officials sometimes promise permanent resettlement. Hence, sudden displacement coupled with the unreliability of temporary resettlement affect the displaced people in the housing, economic and social aspect. In Addis Ababa, a redevelopment project is underway in Legehar. For the implementation of these projects, 170 households are displaced from government-owned properties and have temporarily resettled to Basha Wolde condominium. The temporary relocatees are accommodated in studio and one bedroom condominium units as renters of the government. This paper aims to document and assess the processes and outcomes of the displacement and temporary resettlement, which are induced by Legehar redevelopment project. The research employed case study method and used qualitative and quantitative data that are collected through key informant interviews, questionnaires, life stories and direct observations. The result of the research disclosed that the process of the temporary resettlement is disorganized: legal framework of temporary resettlement is absent, a resettlement action plan wasn’t devised and the principles of displacement and resettlement weren’t taken into account. Nonetheless, the displaced residents are benefitted with the accessibility and habitability of the temporary accommodation that has good access to services and infrastructure. In addition, although the temporary accommodation has higher rental price compared to Legehar house, it is still considered affordable compared to the price of similar housing units in the city. The research recommends that: a temporary resettlement policy must be formulated, resettlement action plan should be prepared and implemented for every resettlement, early informed consent should be ensured, socio-economic consideration and community participation should be ensured.
Keywords: Redevelopment-induced displacement, temporary resettlement, resettlement process, resettlement outcome, Legehar relocatees I