Mobility=Urbanity.

This master thesis examines the meaning and relation of mobility and urban structure in a rapidly urbanizing Ethiopia. A country with not much infrastructure but a lot of potential we can learn from. This is because it is little influenced by global capital, but is full of traditions as well as cultural wealth and diversity - especially in terms of mobility.

Dealing with the before mentioned problems it is not about fitting a ville nouvelle on an empty meadow or copying western structures (e.g. the car-friendly city), but rather developing a suitable urban structure with and for the people in Ethiopia.\nIn the summer semester 2018 I worked on a research project and on my scientific work about african mobility in Ethiopia. This has resulted in a manifest for future mobility. That is how I learned the diverse meaning of mobility in Ethiopia. I propose that Ethiopian mobility is able to shape own city structures and different urbanities - with short distances and no private cars.\nI did not plan a classical compact town at "Chancho Roge", 40km in the south of Addis Abeba, but an alternative proposal that fits to the scattered settlements, local resources and fullfills the needs of the people. It is more like designing a process and robust structure that can grow further or even shrink without losing its function.\nThe concept is based on two principles: Understanding mobility as source for society and open space as source for economy. Through connecting and overlapping mobility and open space, new activities arise. Traditional and modern activities will happen side by side and mixed with each other. \nWhere connections, coming from the scattered settlements, and a water bodies meet there is an urban node. An urban node or urban center provides for the everyday needs (water, food, energy, waste) and has also a specification in using the open space economily (workplace). There are several urban nodes all over the area. And together those small urban centers act as a network respectively as a local value chain. Together they create closed material cycles and also centralize the functions of transportation, administration, education, workplaces, in- and export.\nDepending on the activities in an urban center, what needs to be transported and depending on the distance to the next urban center every connection uses different customized modes of transport. A donkey is enough for some routes, for some you need to take the bus.