Housing Innovation and the Global Foreign Aid Agenda in Addis Ababa (1964-1993)
NJA Amorim Mota (TU Delft - Public Building and Housing Design)
B.T. Haileselassie (TU Delft - Public Building and Housing Design)
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Abstract
Since the Bretton Woods agreement of 1944, housing has often been part of the foreign aid agenda of international agencies and non-governmental organisations. Housing concepts included in the development aid “packages” were often used to introduce new political ideas and economic paradigms that would affect dramatically the livelihoods of the society at large, an of urban communities in particular. During the cold-war period, this phenomenon was particularly striking. Addis Ababa is a case in point. In this article, we review three cases of housing settlements built in Addis Ababa from the mid1960s to the early 1990s, which were developed under the auspices of the foreign aid agenda. Spanning two completely different political systems, from the last decade of the rule of emperor Haileselassie I to the whole duration of the Derg regime, this article discusses the complex balance between individual homeownership and collective welfare as central aspects of housing programs and housing design that aimed at emancipating communities of urban poor in Addis Ababa.