NWO-WOTRO
Addis Ababa Living Lab – Creating Resilient Dwelling Clusters for Urban Resettlement in Addis Ababa
Addis Ababa Living Lab
Creating Resilient Dwelling Clusters for Urban Resettlement in Addis Ababa

RESEARCH STAFF

PhD CANDIDATES Brook Teklhaimanot
Yonas Alemayehu Soressa
POST DOC RESEARCHER Anteneh Tesfaye Tola
SUPERVISORS Prof. ir. Dick van Gameren
Prof. dr. ir. Marja Elsinga
Dr. Elias Yitbarek
Dr. Henk Jonkers
DAILY SUPERVISOR Dr. Nelson Mota
Dr. Maartje van Eerd
PROJECT MANAGER Ir. Frederique van Andel (general)
Dr. Elias Yitbarek (local)

Since 2002, Addis Ababa’s urban resettlement programme has primarily focused on short-term efficiency (speed and affordability), which resulted in housing policies and design-decisions that have produced problematic living conditions. Development induced resettlement demands a holistic approach based on an understanding of patterns of inhabitation and processes of community engagement. This is challenging, because of the shortage of socio-spatial analyses, and lack of actionable information that can be adopted by local actors. The main goal of the project “Addis Ababa Living Lab” is to improve the livelihood of Addis Ababa’s urban dwellers using transdisciplinary approaches of analysis, planning and design. Accurate understanding of social, economic and technological needs and enhanced community participation is crucial. To achieve this goal, a contextually new co-creation model will be used – engaging a local university (EiABC), government agencies (i.e. Federal Housing Corporation), an NGO, local and international design and planning practitioners, and a local dwellers’ community. The research will use tools and methods such as geomatics and visual ethnography in site surveys, life-cycle-assessment (LCA) to quantify buildings’ sustainability performance, and Societal Cost Benefit Assessment studies (SCBA). This project will produce a policy paper, an actionable framework and build a pilot project on a test site as experiment and feedback loop. These research outputs will be used to impact decisions, for education and upscaling. The project positively contributes to several SDG’s (sustainable cities, good health & well-being, education, clean water & sanitation, decent work & economic growth) and generates knowledge and tools to prevent negative feedbacks.

CONSORTIUM

MAIN APPLICANT Delft University of Technology / Faculty of Architecture and the Built Environment
CO-APPLICANT Addis Ababa University / The Ethiopian Institute of Architecture, Building Construction and City Development
PARTNER Federal Housing Corporation, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
PARTNER / DESIGN PILOT PROJECT RAAS Architects, Addis Ababa & Mecanoo Architects, Delft
USER COMITTEE FDRE Ministry of Urban Development and Housing, Ethiopia & Addis Ababa City – Housing Development and Administration Office
ADVISORS UN Habitat / Urban Planning and Design Lab, Nairobi, NGO Mission for Community Development, Addis Ababa, Erasmus University / Institute for Housing and Development Studies, Rotterdam / Delft University of Technology, Faculty of Civil Engineering and Geosciences
FUNDING NWO WOTRO Science for Global Development & Delft University of Technology

PhD
Inclusive Decision-Making in the Processes of Urban Redevelopment, Displacement and Resettlement in Addis Ababa
Inclusive Decision-Making in the Processes of Urban Redevelopment, Displacement and Resettlement in Addis Ababa

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PhD CANDIDATE Yonas Alemayehu Soressa
PROMOTOR Prof.dr.ir. Marja Elsinga (TU Delft)
PROMOTOR Dr. Elias Yitbarek (EiABC)
CO-PROMOTOR Dr. Maartje van Eerd (EUR/IHS)

This research investigates the many challenges resulting from large-scale urban redevelopment projects which have displaced more than 25,000 households in Addis Ababa. Arguing the importance of considering city making as a continuous process that involves contributions of various actors in the planning, implementation, and management in a cyclic manner, the research explores the integrated processes that should be articulated to guarantee sustainable outcomes. This should take into account different phases of urban redevelopment-displacement-resettlement processes, reviewing the legislative, institutional and planning frameworks as well as processes and levels of participation of the various stakeholders, particularly those directly affected by redevelopment-induced displacement. With recognition of how current debates on the issue primarily focus on the effects of relocation rather than the factors leading to those effects, the dissertation looks into the relationship between the unintended outcomes and the unsustainable practices in the planning and implementation, particularly in the area of inclusive decision-making. The final output of this study will serve as a valuable resource for public leaders, policy makers, advisors, practicing professionals, academia, and other members of society who are involved in the pursuit of a more sustainable urban development.

PhD
Analysing Low-Income Incremental Housing through Spatial Design and Governance – Afua Wilcox
Analysing Low-Income Incremental Housing through Spatial Design and Governance
Afua Wilcox
AUTHOR Afua Wilcox
PROMOTOR Prof.dr.ir. Marja Elsinga
PROMOTOR Dr. Nelson Mota
CO-PROMOTOR Dr. Marietta Haffner

More info in the database

PhD
Reconstructing Dwelling – Brook Teklehaimanot Haileselassie
Reconstructing Dwelling
Brook Teklehaimanot Haileselassie
AUTHOR Brook Teklehaimanot Haileselassie
PROMOTOR Prof. ir. Dick van Gameren (TU Delft)
PROMOTOR Dr. Henk Jonkers (TU Delft)
C0-PROMOTOR Dr. Nelson Mota (TU Delft)
DEFENSE 2025

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PhD
Modes and Models for the Masses – Rohan Varma
Modes and Models for the Masses
Rohan Varma
AUTHOR Rohan Varma
PROMOTOR Prof. ir. Dick van Gameren (TU Delft)
PROMOTOR Prof. Rahul Mehrotra (Harvard University)
PROMOTOR Dr. Nelson Mota (TU Delft)
DEFENSE 2025

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PhD
Addis Ababa's Sefer, Iddir, and Gebbi – Anteneh Tesfaye Tola
Addis Ababa's Sefer, Iddir, and Gebbi
Anteneh Tesfaye Tola
AUTHOR Anteneh Tesfaye Tola
PROMOTOR Prof. ir. Dick van Gameren (TU Delft)
CO-PROMOTOR Dr. Nelson Mota (TU Delft)
DEFENSE 2023

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PhD
Inhabitable Voids – Mohamad Sedighi
Inhabitable Voids
Mohamad Sedighi
AUTHOR Mohamad Sedighi
PROMOTOR Prof. ir. Dick van Gameren (TU Delft)
DAILY SUPERVISOR Dr. Nelson Mota (TU Delft)
DEFENSE 13 January 2020

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