From the Kebele to the Condominium

One decade ago in the capital city of Ethiopia, Addis Ababa, more than 80% of its four million inhabitants lived in the so-called kebele houses, which are the local variant of a well-known urban figure, the slum. In order to cope with the housing backlog sparked by the need to replace the dilapidated kebele houses, to accommodate the city’s natural growth, and to deal with the massive rural-urban migration, the government created in the mid-2000s the Integrated Housing Development Programme (IHDP).

This program aimed at building throughout the country 360,000 dwelling units in five years based on a standard mid-rise housing block type that eventually became ubiquitous, especially in Addis Ababa’s built landscape. Over the last decade, the IHDP actually created “only” an average of 35,000 new flats per year, half of the expected turn out. In any case, “the condominiums”, as they are commonly known, have succeeded in upgrading the material living conditions of thousands of people. However, they have also disrupted established social networks and vernacular patterns of inhabitation. Further, the IHDP triggered a conspicuous strategy of marginalization of the urban poor that occupied premium real estate in the city centre.

In this paper I will deliver a critical review of the condominium settlements using literature review, empirical evidences gathered from site surveys, and analytical accounts of Addis Ababa’s housing figures. I will argue that the spatial qualities of the new housing complexes were overlooked in favour of a technocratic approach. I will further contend that the IHDP has some emancipatory potential, though more attention should be given to the social and spatial practices of the kebele compounds and cooperative housing to re-conceptualize the politics of affordable housing in Addis Ababa, gearing its approach towards the development of a more inclusive city.