CLEAR COASTS


CLEAR COASTS

Roads get cleared as a fleet of vehicles carrying diplomats makes its way to the African Union Summit held in Addis Abeba. The capital fills up with attendees from all over the world every year, ushering in a public transportation debacle for most urbanites. Motorcycles were banned from the streets this year, while heavy-duty vehicles were restricted to selected roads. Pleas for sweeping amendments to the global financial architecture were ubiquitous in this year's summit as several African countries grapple with distressful debt situations. Ethiopia recently missed a 33 million dollar coupon payment on its Eurobond, which resulted in several credit agencies downgrading its rating to junk territory.

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In-Picture

GREEN TRACKS

When city planners spoke of ‘greening' the transport system, few imagined it would take such a literal form. The Addis Abeba Light Rail Transit (AALRT), which began operating in 2015 as Sub-Saharan Africa's first inner-city light rail, now has pillars draped in climbing vines. The line carries the look of both an urban transit corridor and a set from Tarzan, offering commuters a curious blend of connectivity and wilderness...


In-Picture

FLOW FIX

The Filwuha River is finally getting the attention it's been patiently begging for. Its long-overdue facelift promises green, welcoming banks where city dwellers can escape the urban grind, once the dust settles and the construction noise stops auditioning for a rock concert. The river hums along, apparently resigned to sharing the spotlight with jackhammers and muddy boots. This isn't just a beautification project—it's an ambitious experiment in turning chaos into calm, and pipelines into Ins...


In-Picture

SHINE BREAK

Around Megenagna, Sitting on a massive drainage pipe laid along a rocky, unfinished stretch, young shoe-shine boys find a moment of respite amidst the mud and scattered buckets a small, human pause in the sprawling Addis Abeba Corridor Development Program waitng for their next customer. The infrastructure project, directed towards widening and modernising key arterial roads, has displaced communities and reshaped neighbourhoods, leaving workers, residents, and bystanders negotiating the uneasy i...