SLEEK SLABS

Apr 30 , 2024


A street food vendor around the Stadium area pockets his inventory on a cosy corner wall. The area is being renovated as the eponymous soccer field's protracted construction nears completion. Bicycles for rental, informal driving instructors and the make-shift tent shops synonymous with the area are being slowly removed.  The six-decade-old stadium has been under construction for five years due to changing contractors and skyrocketing input costs. Kejela Merdasa, the minister of Culture & Sports, has recently placed a deadline for next year.  


In-Picture

SHIFTING PAVEMENTS

Fresh pavements are laid around the Bole area, partly suited for pedestrians and bicycles. This lays the ground for a grand corridor development project 10Km long and 47.5hct wide by the Addis Abeba City Administration. The capital has been transformed in a matter of months after the project was initially kicked off with the demolition around Piassa. Closely supervised by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed (PhD) and occurring across five major lanes, the corridors have split public opinion. While mos...


In-Picture

FADING FLAVORS

A historic building around Piazza area that housed restaurant Castelli within its walls is undergoing renovations. Its story dates back to the Italian occupation. Piazza, meaning "open square" in Italian, was imposed as the name by Mussolini's forces during their 1930s occupation of Addis Abeba, particularly the Arada District. Piazza has thrived as a centre of commerce and culture until the ongoing development project which has resulted in the demolition of some areas. Few buildings such as...


In-Picture

TOTTERING TOWERS

A hurried renovation transpires on a conjoined pair of small buildings around the Mercato area. Many old buildings in the vast marketplace are remnants of shops built by Yemeni merchants who relocated from the old Arada area in the 1930s. The area has a thriving informal sector economy from which thousands earn daily bread. According to studies by the Centre for International Private Enterprise, nearly one-sixth of Ethiopia's urban employment is in the informal sector. Some studies have esti...


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