#lideta

We met Melaku while visiting the Lideta condominium. He was so kind to show us around. Once we told him we were architecture students doing research on the condominiums he opened up and wanted to show us every positive and negative side of his neighbourhood.

LIDETA

The population of Addis Ababa is nearly 5 million people. Understandably this may seem like a small number, especially considering the city is spread out over 200 square miles (527 square kilometers). However, none of the city's infastructure- not the roads or the electric grid or the water reserves or the sewage system- was designed to handle the rapid population increase of the past 20 years. With ever more people moving from the countryside to the capital, the demand on resources is steadily growing.

Population growth is also putting an increased demand on housing. This has lead to the development of condominium complexes with anywhere from 20 to 100 buildings. Each building has 6 or 7 floors, each floor has 5-10 apartments. The result can look like a space colony. Hundreds of thousands of people now call these condominiums home.

Yet as far as urban living in the 3rd world goes, people who can afford to live here are the lucky ones. And the luckiest of all will be those who move into Lideta- the complex Abiy and I now reside.

Lideta is a short distance from the Mercado (Africa's largest open air market) and an even shorter distance from Mexico (the financial center of Addis as well as the location of the African Union). These condominiums are to be a showpiece for the 2015 presidential elections. At the moment, much is still under construction. Soon though, the surrounding area will be filled with fine restaurants and shops. And when the metro is finally completed? Lideta will be the place to live.

This will probably mean that rent will more than double and Abiy and I will have to find new pad. But until then, we can say we're living in one of the best apartments in Addis.