Rethinking Regularization of Informal Settlements in UrbanEthiopia: Addis Ababa in Focus
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Date
2022-09
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Addis Ababa Unversity
Abstract
Land issues in our country arecentral to many facets of life. Especially, urban land for housing in
cities generally and in Addis Ababa particularly is very debatable when examined its fair
distribution. That is why bypassing the regular way of land occupation, both those in need and
land speculators are tending to prefer the irregular or informal way of occupation. While the
FDRE Constitution prohibits citizen or individual ownership ofland, it allows possession that is
regulated by subordinate laws. The current urban landholding proclamation, while prohibiting
occupation of urban land without leasehold, gives a transitional period for regularization of
informal settlements, as much as they align with urban plan, by city administrations and regions
enactment of regulations. The study has explored the regularization mechanism of informal
settlements in Addis Ababa City Administration where large-scale informal settlements occur.
The study has analyzed whether regularization is advisable in adhering to the rule of law and
urban plans as well as its possibility of non-contravention with the urban planning laws and the
plans themselves.
Issues in this thesis were examined through employing desk review, literature review, and key
informants in addition to analyzing laws and cassation decisions. At the completion of this thesis,
it was found that regularization of informal settlements could not be applied on holdings after
May 2005 due to its closure by the urban land laws. It is not also advisable to continue
regularization of informal settlements, which most of the time infringe on urban plans and cause
various problems in urban settings. Therefore, it is better to satisfy the housing needs of citizens
by employing housing cooperatives, condominium housing, and other mechanisms.