ABSTRACT
Chapter 7 discusses housing-related issues, specifically slum and squatters. With the increasing informal economy and informal housing, the city may deserve the name “the informal city.” This chapter discusses the physical, social, cultural, economic, and environmental aspects of slums and shantytowns. With reports that 80% of Addis Ababa residents live in slums, this chapter calls attention to recognizing the problem and working toward a solution. The question remains: with the condominium booms, why has there not been a reduction in the percentage of Addis Ababa people who live in slums or are squatters? This chapter argues that housing policies, by themselves, don’t solve the problem of slums and squatters. There are underpinning social, economic, and land-policy problems, coupled with uncontrolled population growth that the chapter discusses in detail.
