An Assessment of the Development and Implementation of Regulations on Informal Settlements
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Date
2006-06
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Addis Ababa University
Abstract
Informal settlements, like most of the problems confronting people living in poverty in the
urban centers of developing countries, are the outcome of failed policies, inappropriate
regulatory frameworks and administrative procedures, bad urban governance, corruption, and
a fundamental lack of political will. The improvement of living conditions in informal
settlements is one of the most complex and pressing challenges facing cities of developing
countries like Addis Ababa today.
With this regard, a number of regulations and strategies were formulated by Addis Ababa City
Administration as a response for mitigating and treating informal /irregular settlements that
have been undertaken in the city over the last few years. Regulation No-1/92 E.C termed, as
“Regularization” program is the recent one that the city government has issued regarding
informal settlements. However, the adoption of approaches, strategies and principles for the
formulation and implementation of the program was not appropriate. Observations magnifies
that, some informal settlements are easily legalized while others are evicted and demolished.
There are also some indications that new houses are being built in the already existing
informal settlement areas. This situation has complicated the already existing problem of
housing legalization.
Therefore, this study aims to investigate and assess the development and implementation of
regulations on informal settlements, particularly Regulation No.1/92 E.C. The study
employed mainly qualitative and partly quantitative methods for gathering and analyzing data.
The data includes both primary and secondary data in the study.
The findings of the research indicate that inappropriate adoption of approaches, strategies and
principles for the formulation and implementation of Regulation No.1/92 on informal
settlements with weak institutional, financial amd policy aspects and poor land information
systems as well (LIS). This situation creates possibilities for the development new practices of
illegal sub-divisions and expansion of illegal settlements in the city as the research findings in
this study. This practices created the new type of squatter settlements through
commercialization, we call it surrogate Squatting, Some thing, which is quite unique and peculiar
to Addis Ababa. Therefore, this research has shown that the regulation itself is aggravating
instead of minimizing the proliferation of informal settlements.
Finally, the study concludes by suggesting some recommendations for intervention by the
policy makers, urban managers and planners of Addis Ababa as well as by suggesting for
further research in the same area.
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Keywords
Regulations on Informal