Squatter Settlements in Yeka Sub-City: Nature, Causes and Impacts on Urban Land Management With Emphasis on Kebeles 15 and 16
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Date
2006-12
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Addis Ababa University
Abstract
It is readily understood that the problem oj housing shortage has been serious and
rampant in Addis Ababa. The acute shortage oj housing in the city has been
aggravated by high rate oj population growth. migration oj p eople urban wards and
the prevalence oj poverty. The prevalence oj certain constraints in urban land
allocation and hOUSing provision Jurther worsened the shelter problem in the city. In
a nutshell. Jormal housing provision has proved to be inadequate in the city oj Addis
Ababa. Thus. a considerable proportion oj the dwellers oj the city are Jorced to
squatting mechanisms. especially in the p eripheral and expansion areas oj the city to
meet their shelter needs.
Squatting. though it appeared to be helpJul in alleviating the problem oj housing
shortage to a certain extent. has negative implications to urban land developmellt
and management.
In light oj this. the city govemment has been trying to control the squatting practice
mainly through demolishing squatter houses. However. the squatting problem has
continued unabated owing to various reasons.
This study Jocuses on squatter settlements that are Jound in the Yelea Sub-City. The
principal objective oj the study is to assess the nature. causes and impacts oj
squatter settlements onJormal urban land development and management. In order to
achieve the objective oj the study a questionnaire survey covering a total oj 240
sample squatter household heads was carried out in the leebele 15 and 16 oj Yelea
Sub-City. The data was analyzed using SPSS data processing method.
The study revealed that the majority oj the sample squatter household heads were
migrants. young age groups and male-headed households. They were Jorced to squat
mainly due to lacle oj Jormal hOUSing provision in the central parts oj the city. In most
cases. the Jormal mechanisms oj obtaining housing and construction sites have been
unaJJordable and inaccessible due to mainly low-income conditions oj the
households concem ed. Thus. most oj them optedJor squatting in the periphery oj the
city where access to land has been relatively easy. Migration. new household
Jormation. constraints in housing and land marleet, low income and high rental prices
proved to be the major contributing Jactors Jor the expansion oj squatting in the
locality. In addition to these causes. the tolerant attitude oj the govemment to let
squatters occupy hilly and green areas. the govemments' inability to control and
execute these settlements. ineffICient control oj the code erifC?rcement service to deter
illegal housing construction. are some oj the Jactors that have contributed to the
emergence and proliferation oj squatter settlements in the study area.
ThereJore. in order to reduce in short term and ultimately solve the problem oj
squatting. the researcher come up with the recommendation that the root cause oj
housing shortage in Addis Ababa should be studied Jurther and low cost housing
developments be encouraged by the middle level real estate developers as well as
the public at large.
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Keywords
Urban Land Management