The Role of Ïdïrs in Neighbourhood Upgrading in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Intoduction
Efforts have been made by NGOs, Governments and Community-Based Organizations (CBOs) to upgrade slum areas, particularly in the cities of developing countries. In many of these cities, the challenge still remains as the process of rapid urbanization continues to negatively affect the resource allocation and provision of services. According to UN-Habitat, in 2001, 924 million people (31.6 %) lived in slums and it is projected that in the next 30 years the number of slum dwellers will be about 2 billion (UN-Habitat, 2003). In Addis Ababa, it is estimated that 80% of the population are living in slums and 85% of the housing stock is believed to be located in slum areas.
The lessons learned from the slum clearances of the 50s and 60s were the backdrop for initiating various slum upgrading programs including self-help housing, which was advocated by architects such as John F. C. Turner. In the mid-1970s, the concept was widely adopted by the World Bank (Werlin, 1999) and it was promoted in the form of in-situ settlement upgrading in existing slums or in providing sites and services in unoccupied areas. The key lessons learned from the experiences of the 70s were that slum dwellers are not part of the problem but part of the solution. This paper analyzes the role of a coalition of burial associations (ïdïrs) in slum upgrading. In agreement to Turner’s theory and the experience of the 70s the ïdïr members residing in slum areas were found to be part of the solution by mobilizing themselves into a coalition interested in neighbourhood upgrading. The study is based on a case study of a coalition of ïdïrs known as Täsfa Mahbärawi Lmataqäf Mahbär (Täsfa Social and Development Association) located in Addis Ababa. The paper draws from the author’s PhD thesis. The data was gathered during two periods of fieldwork in 2004 and 2006. It was gathered largely through a qualitative survey method that relied on both secondary and primary sources- semi structured interviews, informal discussions and observations.