EiABC
EthSapian
ETHIOPIAN INSTITUTE OF
ARCHIECTURE BUILDING
CONSTRUCTION AND CITY
DEVELOPMENT
URBAN HOUSING GROUP ASSIGNMENT
GROUP 3
GROUP NAME ID NUMBER
1.MELAT ESHETU UGR/6234/15
2.BEMENT ANTENEH UGR/7858/15
3.DANIEL KEBEDE UGR/8588/15
4.NATNAEL ABEBE UGR/9940/15
5.BIRUK BEWKETU UGR/5269/15
6.ZEDINGEL MESFIN UGR/1941/15
7.FIKER TAGASH UGR/3945/15
Introduction
Over the past decade, Addis Ababa has been developing into a hub of rapid urbanization, driven by an
ambitious plan for government-led economic growth, infrastructural development, and modernization.
While these plans bring hope for urban development and rising standards of living, at the same time
they also present a source of significant concerns, particularly to the more vulnerable segments of
society.
Among such urban development-induced resettlement reaches deep down the poor households and
questions the socio-economic and cultural impacts of such displacement. Set against this background, this
summary looks at the different ways in which resettlement strikes at the very core of poor households,
outlining the ordeal of economic depravity, social dislocation, and policy deficiency, with community
perseverance keeping them going. These experiences range from forced evictions of low-income
residents to make room for new urban development projects in the capital city of Addis Ababa. It has
been more than just displacement; a complete livelihood disruption happens to the concerned families.
Several residents get rendered homeless due to infrastructure projects, commercial projects, or housing
projects meant for affluent classes. This often translates into the loss of not only physical shelter but also
in a disturbance of social networks and community relationships important for both emotional and
economic supports.
Economic Hardships Following Resettlement
1.Loss of Livelihoods: One of the immediate severe impacts of resettlement is economic. Most
displaced households have their major dependence on local employment opportunities, informal
economies, and social capital developed within their own communities. Removal of the access to these
resources greatly blocks the ability to secure stable incomes. Families relocated to areas with less
employment opportunities often cannot fulfill basic needs.
2.Increased Cost of Living: Most often, resettlement centers are usually established in areas that are
further away from accessibility to services or markets. This not only makes life cumbersome but also
increases costs for transportation and household goods. Families that were already on the brink of
poverty find themselves in dire economic straits and increase their vulnerabilities.
3.Debt and Financial Instability: The economic stress due to displacement is often high enough to
force families into using credit facilities, which puts them in a vicious debt circle. This may contribute
to financial instability with long-lasting implications for household health, education, and well-being,
since families divert resources away from basic services to service the debts.
Social Disruption and Community Fragmentation
4.Disinvestment of Social Capital: The social fabric is stitched through shared experiences, mutual
help, and collective identity. Displacement abruptly uproots the people from the familiar settings, thus
cutting them from critical social connectivity. This fragmentation not only impacts emotional wellbeing
but also reduces the collective power that communities often apply in pushing for their rights and needs.
5.Psychological Impact: The psychic toll of displacement has not been underrated. Feelings of grief
and loss, hopelessness even, are common as the individual takes up the new challenge. The trauma
related to
coping with one's new environment coupled with stress from the loss of one's home can result in long-
run incidents of mental health issues after the original displacement occurred.
3. Social Tensions: The mode in which displaced populations generally settle down to any particular area
is often met with resistance by the previous inhabitants. Competition for resources, social services, and
job opportunities may breed tension; thus, conflict occurs and further marginalization of displaced
individuals takes place. This is why integration becomes complex as the resettled households find it
more difficult to produce a sense of belonging.
Government Policies and Their Shortcomings
1.Inadequate Compensation Schemes: A very contentious feature of urban resettlement is the question
of compensation. Very often, the compensation given to many displaced households to replace lost
properties and livelihoods is grossly insufficient. Further, the processes of determining such
compensations have very often been nontransparent and bureaucratic, leaving the affected individuals
feeling powerless and disfranchised.
2.Inadequate Planning for Resettlement: A large number of plans laid down by the government lack
foresight. It is very often a case of not having enough foresight into the socio-economic peculiarities
of the household to be displaced, and the plans presented for the resettlement sites are always very
poorly laid out without adequate infrastructure, access to services, and economic opportunities. This
oversight dramatically raises the need for more participatory processes that include the voices of
affected communities and their needs.
3.Policy Recommendations for Improvement: The challenges related to resettlement linked to urban
development must be addressed by multi-dimensional policy solutions. Among the key
recommendations come enlarging compensation frameworks to comprehensively capture real values of
foregone assets, involvement and participation of affected communities during the planning and
decision-making process, along with supportive programs that help economic integration in new areas.
Community Resilience and Adaptation Strategies
4.Resilience of Emerging Kind: Despite all odds, many households that get displaced have great
resilience. Individuals and families often concoct adaptive strategies to make do with their new realities
by building new networks, starting small entrepreneurial activities, and exploiting social connections
for resources and support.
5.The Role of Non-Governmental Organizations: Non-government organizations come in to fill the
gaps needed to be filled by governmental responses to such populations of displaced persons. NGOs
support them in gaining access to resources, advocacy, and community-building initiatives. This can
definitely help people rebuild those capabilities they lost, as well as the social networks that previously
existed, to negotiate the new environment they face.
Conclusion
This is a complex and deep implication of resettlement poverty induced by urban development that poor
households face in Addis Ababa. The interplay between economic hardship, disruption of social life,
weak policy frameworks, and emerging resilience creates a far more nuanced portrait of challenges that
these communities are dealing with. Approach and policy actions by policymakers, urban planners, and
other stakeholders have to be holistic, putting the rights and needs of the displaced at the forefront. The
negative impacts of resettlement, by allowing participative and nondiscriminatory development
processes, could be reduced and yield the ground for sustainable development of urban centers to the
benefit of all citizens.
Key Takeaways
- Urban development in Addis Ababa is causing massive involuntary displacement of poor households.
- The economic consequences are loss of livelihoods, increased cost of living, and debt cycles.
-Social fragmentation and psychological distress are very much part of the experience of the
displaced population.
These would include inadequate levels of government compensation and planning that are often in
need of wholesale reform, community resilience becomes crucial to survive such disasters. This, along
with NGO participation in sustaining the households of the displaced, is critical. Therefore, a host of
comprehensive policy interventions is required in order to improve the outcomes for vulnerable
populations.
