The Urban Laboratory – Addis Ababa is a research initiative launched by the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) Zurich in collaboration with Addis Ababa University (AAU) and the Ethiopian Engineering Capacity Building Program (ECBP). The laboratory sets as its objective the development of sustainable strategies for urban environments. Rather than upholding an a priori vision of an ideal city, the publication "Cities of Change: Addis Ababa" acknowledges the heterogeneous and at times messy conditions of urban territories, and makes a case for their transformation over time. One of the key aspects of the work encompasses scenario planning: designing processes for potential ‘futures’ according to varying constraints. Urban design as a discipline is reframed in view of an understanding of the city as a dynamic system, one delineated by stocks and flows of resources – with specific attention given to fluxes of people, energy, water, material, capital, space, and information.

Edited by Marc Angelil and Dirk Hebel. Basel 2010. 256 pp. 220 illus., 120 in colour. Paperback.

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