Lessons of informality : architecture and urban planning for emerging territories - concepts from Ethiopia / Felix Heisel, Bisrat Kifle (eds.)

The potential of informality Informal settlements made up of corrugated iron shacks and other materials are a ubiquitous feature in the megacities of Africa, Asia and Latin America. In response to the enormous influx of migrants from the countryside, the informal city experienced a phenomenal growth. While rightly criticized for their lack of hygiene and for their low-level living conditions, these shelters nevertheless provide planning strategies and possibly even a roadmap to a resilient city in an emerging territory. The unregistered economic activities associated with them proliferate in a similar way and basic urban services are increasingly provided informally. Examples of these economic phenomena are microloans, bottom-up insurance or professions such as the "Kuré-Yalew" (refuse collector), who acts as an "urban miner" and thus contributes a valuable service to the community by recycling materials. * Ethiopia is one of Africa’s "economic tigers" * Interdisciplinary team of authors from urbanism, sociology and architecture * Including a DVD with "\_Spaces", a series of documentaries on Addis Ababa Informal Settlements Made Up Of Corrugated Iron Shacks And Other Materials Are A Ubiquitous Feature In The Megacities Of Africa, Asia And Latin America. In Response To The Enormous Influx Of Migrants From The Countryside, The Informal City Experienced A Phenomenal Growth. While Rightly Criticized For Their Lack Of Hygiene And For Their Low-level Living Conditions, These Shelters Nevertheless Provide Planning Strategies And Possibly Even A Roadmap To A Resilient City In An Emerging Territory. The Unregistered Economic Activities Associated With Them Proliferate In A Similar Way And Basic Urban Services Are Increasingly Provided Informally. Examples Of These Economic Phenomena Are Microloans, Bottom-up Insurance Or Professions Such As The Kuré-yalew (refuse Collector), Who Acts As An Urban Miner And Thus Contributes A Valuable Service To The Community By Recycling Materials. Informal Settlements Made Up Of Corrugated Iron Shacks And Other Materials Are A Ubiquitous Feature In The Megacities Of Africa, Asia And Latin America. In Response To The Enormous Influx Of Migrants From The Countryside, The Informal City Experienced A Phenomenal Growth. While Rightly Criticized For Their Lack Of Hygiene And For Their Low-level Living Conditions, These Shelters Nevertheless Provide Planning Strategies And Possibly Even A Roadmap To A Resilient City In An Emerging Territory.0the Unregistered Economic Activities Associated With Them Proliferate In A Similar Way And Basic Urban Services Are Increasingly Provided Informally. Examples Of These Economic Phenomena Are Microloans, Bottom-up Insurance Or Professions Such As The Kuré-yalew (refuse Collector), Who Acts As An Urban Miner And Thus Contributes A Valuable Service To The Community By Recycling Materials. Preface: From Documentaries To Architectural Strategies -- Introduction: Informality In Emerging Territories / Felix Heisel -- Space Creation And A Sense Of Responsibility -- Housing In An Informally Grown City / Fasil Giorghis -- Landownership And The Leasehold System / Wubshet Berhanu -- A New Addis Ababa / Marjan Kloosterboer -- The Ruralization Of Urban Centres In Ethiopia / Heyaw Terefe, Felix Heisel -- Social, Cultural And Traditional Context -- Social Dynamics And Development / Alula Pankhurst -- Persisting Meaning And Evolving Spaces / Genet Alem -- Bottom-up Insurance Systems / Bisrat Kifle -- Self-employment As Economic Empowerment -- The Economic Importance Of Recycling / Felix Heisel, Bisrat Kifle -- Microeconomies, A Formalized Strategy / Lia Gabre Mariam W. -- Addis Ababa, A Rental City / Perrine Duroyaume -- City Preservation Through Tourism / Tadesse Girmay Gebreegziabher -- Paradigm Shifts In Urban Strategies -- From Density To Intensity / Felix Heisel -- Materializing Informality / Dirk E. Hebel -- Building Laws For Innovation / Elias Yitbarek, Felix Heisel -- Decentralized Infrastructural Systems / Tesfaye Hailu Bekele -- Spatial Dialogic / Sascha Delz -- _spaces : The Documentary Series / Felix Heisel, Bisrat Kifle. Includes Bibliographical References. Never before have cities been so important. Today, cities are home to the majority of the world2019s population, accommodate most of global production, and are the goal of millions of migrants around the world. Yet, increasingly, our cities are growing informally, planned and built by non-professionals. Informality resembles an evolutionary process more than a simple absence of rules. In itself, informality is neither illegal, nor dysfunctional, nor indicative of poverty; in fact, its actors, skills and capital are probably our best chance to solve the world2019s growing housing crisis. While informal settlements are rightly criticized for their lack of hygiene and low-level living conditions, their underlying social and cultural networks are a testimonial to the unwavering courage and resilience of their inhabitants. Equally, the associated informal economic activities proliferate and basic urban services are increasingly provided informally. Using the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa as an example, this publication by an interdisciplinary team of authors from urbanism, sociology and architecture analyzes informal housing options as well as economic strategies such as microloan or bottom-up insurance systems. It intro-duces typical informal professions such as the Kuré-Yalew (refuse collector), who acts as an 201Curban miner201D and contributes a valuable service to the community by recycling materials. Thus, Lessons of Informality describes an array of planning strategies and possibly even a roadmap to a resilient city in emerging territories Contents Preface: From documentaries to architectural strategies Introduction: Informality in emerging territories Space creation and a sense of responsibility Housing in an informally grown city Landownership and the leasehold system A “new” Addis Ababa The ruralization of urban centres in Ethiopia Heyaw Terefe Social, cultural and traditional context Social dynamics and development Persisting meaning and evolving spaces Bottom-up insurance systems Self-employment as economic empowerment The economic importance of recycling Microeconomies, a formalized strategy Addis Ababa, a rental city City preservation through tourism Paradigm shifts in urban strategies From density to intensity Materializing informality Building laws for innovation Decentralized infrastructural systems Spatial dialogic _Spaces / The documentary series Editors and contributors Acknowledgements Illustration credits

Provisorisch gebaute Behausungen wie etwa Wellblechhütten sind in den Metropolen Afrikas, Asiens und Lateinamerikas allgegenwärtig. Oft kritisiert für die unhygienischen Lebensumstände, gelten diese ungeplant entstandenen Siedlungengleichwohl als vielschichtiges Element auf dem Weg zu einer resilienten Stadt.

Solch urbane "Informalität" ist typisch für Schwellenländer, in denen heute ca. 68 % der Weltbevölkerung leben. Sie wird hier exemplarisch an Äthiopien und insbesondere Addis Abeba analysiert. Neben Ansätzen für den Wohnungsbau stellt das Buch auch ökonomische Strukturen vor: Mikrokreditwesen, "bottom-up"-Versicherungssysteme oder Berufe wie der "Kuré-Yalew" (Müllsammler), der im Sinne des "Urban Mining" einen wertvollen Beitrag zur Wiederverwendung von Abfallstoffen leistet.

Äthiopien gilt als "Tiger-Staat Afrikas" (Süddeutsche Zeitung, 6./7.12.2014). Die Entwicklung von Addis Abeba mit ihren Chancen und Problemen ist typisch für die von sogenannten "emerging territories" und wird in dieser Publikation beispielhaft analysiert. Ziel ist, vorhandene Kompetenzen und Resourcen zu nutzen, um Fehler einer aufgepfropften Architektur und Stadtplanung nach westlichem Muster zu vermeiden