The main objective 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. The approach incorporated in-depth understanding of social, economic and technological needs of the inner city neighbourhoods. To achieve this goal, the research used tools and methods such as visual ethnography in site surveys, participatory design, life-cycle-assessment to quantify buildings’ sustainability performance, and societal cost benefit assessments. The design project also addressed managerial aspects of key stake- holders and an actionable framework to be used in building a pilot project on a test site as an experiment and feedback loop.

This graphic novel is the result of a micro-ethnographic research to Summit, a district of Addis Ababa. Using graphic techniques borrowed from the architecture discipline, this graphic novel aims at bringing together representations of everyday life in Summit, that show how human life shapes its environment and vice versa. This graphic novel not only represents the architectural qualities and spatial relationships, but also reveals the hidden narratives of ordinary stories.

This research booklet brings together a selection of a qualitative analysis to aspects that characterize the History, Religion, Politics, Arts and Craftsmanship of Ethiopia, in general, and Addis Ababa in particular. This booklet compiles information collected from different sources (mainly bibliographic references and digital archives). The result of the survey is processed using new visual outputs that allow a panoramic account of many aspects that characterize the case study (Addis Ababa).