Does location matter? The spatial equity implications of the Integrated Housing Development Program in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Abstract

As Africa is rapidly urbanizing, there is perhaps no other urban policy area more pressing than the elimination of slums along with the development of equitable access to affordable housing for low-income residents, which requires immediate attention. Ethiopia has taken on this challenge through its Integrated Housing Development Program (IHDP), a policy that incorporates slum clearance and resettlement through a government-led development of condominium housing targeting those displaced and other low- and middle-income households. However, construction of most condominiums has taken place at large-scale conglomerations on periphery of the city considered peri-urban. These sites are far from the city center where slum clearance took place and where most social and economic activity continue to be concentrated. Utilizing a survey instrument, this study examines the mediating effect of IHDP residents’ perception of access to public, urban facilities, and transportation condition, two dimensions of spatial equity. The analysis found that those living at peri-urban IHDP sites perceive lower levels of spatial equity compared to urban IHDP condominium residents. Moreover, peri-urban residents’ perception of spatial equity is a statistically significant mediating factor on the relationship between their location and lower levels of overall satisfaction living at their IHDP condominiums.