Speaker
Description
Ethiopia is one of the fastest-growing economies and urbanizing countries in sub-Saharan Africa. The rapid expansion of existing urban areas and the significant increase in the number of new towns highlight the remarkable trends in Ethiopia’s urban growth. This urbanization process is accompanied by large-scale urban projects aimed at promoting long-term urbanization and modernization in the country. The objective of this study is to identify the typologies of Ethiopia’s urban growth projects and analyze the dynamics underlying these projects through a discursive approach.
First, the study synthesizes existing research on emerging towns to outline a “toolbox” for facilitating urban spatial growth in the Global South. Second, it examines Ethiopia’s urban growth typologies by tracing urban policy documents and urbanization actions. Third, through comparative analysis, the study situates urban growth projects within broader political-economic processes and historical contexts to analyze the dynamic mechanisms driving these projects.
The study identifies three main types of urban growth projects that Ethiopia has consistently implemented, spanning both the EPRDF and the current Prosperity Party administrations: (1) New City Development Driven by Place-Based Spatial Policies: These projects adhere to the logic of spatialized economic policies, creating new growth poles with statutory legitimacy. Specific examples include tourism-oriented eco-cities, urbanization strategies integrated with industrial parks, and satellite cities. (2) Large-Scale Urban Renewal Initiatives: These projects focus on upgrading existing urban centers through substantial investments in infrastructure and commercial projects, thereby reshaping the conditions for urban capitalization. Representative cases include recent corridor development plans in major cities. (3) Reconfiguration of Spatial Governance Areas: This involves reorganizing unstable administrative boundaries to redefine the strategic rules governing political and economic activities. Examples include Shager City surrounding Addis Ababa and multiple economic zone initiatives.
Furthermore, through discursive analysis, this study compares these three types of policies using both diachronic and synchronic approaches to explore their discursive contexts, spatial practices, and power relations, as well as the similarities and differences among the projects. The findings reveal the following: (1) All three types of projects respond to Ethiopia’s historical-geographical conditions, particularly issues related to ethnicity and land tenure, reflecting paradigms of urban spatial production and reproduction informed by Global North experiences. (2) The continuity of authoritarian governance ensures the knowledge production and implementation of diverse urban growth projects, reinforcing their top-down and state-driven nature. (3) Despite the continuity of the three types of urban projects, their underlying developmental logics have evolved across political-economic periods. Specifically, there has been a shift from the developmentalist, rural-urban equalization logic of the EPRDF era to the scalar reorganization and entrepreneurial urbanism of the Prosperity Party period.
| Keywords | Urban Growth Projects;Political-Economic Dynamics;Spatial Governance |
|---|---|
| Best Congress Paper Award | Yes |
