Housing strategies in inner city areas The case of low-income housing in inner city addis ababa
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Date
2005-09
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Addis Ababauniversity
Abstract
The question of shelter has become more crucial with the rapid urbanization we see
today. Developing countries such as Ethiopia have paid too little attention to the shelter
problem and how deeply rooted it is in matters of urbanization. The existing housing
stock plays the major role in housing provision in these developing countries.
Consequently what is to be done with this existing housing stock is an overriding
concern of urban renewal efforts.
Various urban renewal approaches exist that have different effects on low income
housing, such as slum clearance and resettlement, rehabilitation and conservation,
slum and squatter upgrading. A study into the very nature of low income housing
points in the direction of the roots of the problem. There are various concepts as to the
nature of the inner city such as the idea of the compact city, diversity of use and equity.
By taking a case study area within the city of Addis Ababa the thesis explores the
nature and prospect of inner city low income housing in the context of the city. There
has been significant population growth; internal as well as external in Addis Ababa.
There have been changes of an economic, social and political nature that have affected
the nature of inner city low income housing. Various aspects affect the condition of low
income housing within the inner city such as the housing policy, forms of land
ownership, availability of financing, land values, regulations, poverty and rapid
urbanization.
The thesis concludes that for a more effective and sustainable urban renewal approach,
the potentials of low income settlements must become an integral part of local
development plans. Our choice for the location of local plans should be based on inner
city wide assessment of needs and potentials. At a more detailed level, the condition of
the dwelling units has made improvements difficult for these settlements. The lack of
security of tenure has limited the improvement drives of the people. There is a serious
problem of poverty and there is a lack of secure employment. This has led to the
inability for most of these settlers to get loans from banks. However, even with the
evident dilapidated condition of the settlement, the residents prefer to stay. Cooperating
with community based organizations will have far reaching effects in areas such as
providing security for housing finance and community participation
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Keywords
Low-Income housing