‘A dream come true’? Adolescents’ perspectives on urban relocation and life in condominiums in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

ABSTRACT

Relocation from inner cities and rehousing in suburbs is becoming an increasingly prevalent issue in developing countries. However, there is limited evidence about the perspectives of adolescents and most studies are from western contexts. In addressing this gap this study tracked adolescents before and after they were relocated over an eight-year interval from the centre of Addis Ababa to the outskirts, mainly to government-sponsored condominium housing. The paper also compares the views of those who were relocated with those who stayed behind. The paper argues that condominium housing enabled low-to-middle-income households to become house owners, while the poorest could not afford the costs, and the richest preferred building their own houses. From the perspective of adolescents who were relocated the move led to better housing and improved sanitation. However, students faced difficulties in the first year commuting, and schools and health centres were considered better quality in the previous locations; markets and shops were initially less well developed in the condominium areas, and there were fewer recreation options, though pollution and safety were greater concerns in the old neighbourhoods. A significant majority of the adolescents (79%) felt that the changes were positive or mainly positive and soon adapted to the new social environment, though social ties were less strong than in their previous neighbourhoods. Those who moved had better internet access and there were gender differences in decision-making, leisure activities and spending, with girls having less freedom, somewhat compensated for by mobile phones and social media.

KEYWORDS:

• Urban redevelopment
• displacement
• relocation
• housing
• condominiums
• adolescents
• Ethiopia

Acknowledgments

The authors thank the young people who patiently answered our questions and shared their insights about their experiences, and all field survey researchers.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1 Nikuze, “Livelihood impacts of displacement and resettlement”.

2 Watson, “African urban fantasies: dreams or nightmares?”.

3 Kloosterboer, and van Noorloos, “Africa’s new cities”, Watson, “African urban fantasies”, Hammar, “Urban Displacement and Resettlement in Zimbabwe”.

4 Goodfellow, “Seeing Political Settlements through the City”

5 Tadele, “Urban development and displacement of rural communities”.

6 Cernea, “The Risks and Reconstruction Model”.

7 Cernea, “The Urban Environment”.

8 Cernea, “Concept and Method”, 212.

9 UN-Habitat, “The State of Addis Ababa”.

10 UNCHS, “Evaluation of Relocation”.

11 Cernea, “The Risks and Reconstruction Model, p. 1575

12 Bisht, “Negotiating Impoverishment Risks”.

13 Pankhurst and Piguet, Moving People in Ethiopia.

14 E.g. Hailu, “Challenges of urban renewal projects and relocation”.

15 Kloosterboer, “The ‘new’ Addis Ababa”.

16 Ibid.

17 Abebe and Hesselberg, “Implication of Urban Development-Induced Resettlement”.

18 Charitonidou, “Housing Programs for the Poor”.

19 Ibid.

20 Yntiso, “Urban Development and Displacement”.

21 Planel and Bridonneau, “(Re) making politics”.

22 Charitonidou, “Housing Programs for the Poor”.

23 Dejene, “Challenges of urban renewal projects”.

24 Weldemariam, “Success of high-rise residential condominium housing”.

25 Kahlmeter, "Does housing instability matter for youths’ educational attainment”; Gasper, “Coming and going”.

26 Schmidt, et al. "Do changes in neighborhood social context mediate.”

27 Kim, “A Systematic Review of Public Housing”.

28 Clampet-Lundquist, “No more ‘Bois Ball’”; Gasper, “Coming and going”.

29 Visser, “I really wanted to stay in the same neighbourhood”.

30 Kloosterboer, “The ‘new’ Addis Ababa”.

31 UN-Habitat, “Condominium Housing in Ethiopia”.

32 Keivani and Werna, “Modes of Housing Provision”.

33 UN-Habitat, “Condominium Housing in Ethiopia”.

34 Abdulselam and Belay, “Perceived Effects of Development-Induced Displacement”.

35 Planel and Bridonneau, “(Re) making politics”.

36 Weldeghebriel, “The framing of inner-city slum redevelopment”.

37 Pedrazzini et al. “Violence of urbanization”.

38 Ejigu, “Socio-spatial tensions and interactions”.

39 Duroyaume, “Addis Ababa and the Urban Renewal”.

40 Yintiso, “Urban Development and Displacement”.

41 Clampet-Lundquist, “No more ‘Bois Ball’”.

42 Abduselam and Belay. “Perceived Effects of Development-Induced Displacement”.

43 Tiumelissan and Pankhurst, “Moving to Condominium Housing?”.

44 www.younglives.org.uk.

45 To protect the anonymity of respondents pseudonyms have been substituted for site names, and the exact locations are not specified.

46 The interviews were undertaken by highly skilled field workers and supervisors who worked with the main Young Lives surveys for more than three rounds. The data were collected using tablets with the CAPI software.

Additional information

Funding

This article is an output of the Gender and Adolescence: Global Evidence (GAGE) programme (www.odi.org.uk) which is funded by UK aid from the UK government. However, views expressed and information contained within do not necessarily reflect the UK government’s official policies and are not endorsed by the UK government, GAGE, Young Lives or the University of Oxford which accept no responsibility for such views or information or for any reliance placed on them. The data used in this publication come from Young Lives, a longitudinal study of the changing nature of childhood poverty in Ethiopia, India, Peru and Vietnam (www.younglives.org.uk).