SHAPING COMMUNITIES

Abstract

The housing shortage in Ethiopia, particularly in rapidly urbanizing cities like Addis Ababa, represents a growing challenge. This issue stems from a combination of socio-economic factors, such as income disparity and limited access to financing. Urbanization intensifies this situation by rapidly increasing the demand for housing. The city's population is growing rapidly, with many people from rural areas and other cities migrating to Addis Ababa in search of better opportunities. This has led to a growing need for affordable housing. Therefore, architectural solutions need to focus not only on volume but also on sustainability and affordability. Current housing programs, like the 10/90 condominium initiative, show how limited existing efforts are in meeting the needs of low-income residents. Many of the city’s residents still live in informal settlements, as there aren’t enough affordable, formal housing options. The topic focuses on finding practical, scalable solutions to Ethiopia's housing shortage that could help create more equitable and strong communities while also addressing broader socio-economic challenges such as poverty, displacement, and overcrowding. It will explore design solutions that can be scaled and used across the capital city to enhance the quality of life of the residents. The topic will explore alternative, affordable materials that can help reduce construction costs. The topic will analyze case studies and design experiments to find scalable solutions.