RE-INVENTING LOW-INCOME KEBELE HOUSING AS INCOME GENERATING TOOL (THE CASE OF KULFO KETENA KEBELE HOUSES, ARBA MINCH

Abstract

This thesis intended to explore the economic and spatial potentials of the old kebele houses at the downtown of Arba Minch. Redevelopment of these settlements is under practice where relocation of kebele settlement and erasing all the socio economic chain are eminent leading to gaps of delivering housing for the low-income. This research zoomed in to the economic and spatial potentials of kebele houses. It assessed characters, types and sizes of income generating activities affecting the spatial aspects of kebele houses studying trends and similar cases in the reviews of literature. Methodology continued by collecting qualitative data through photos, maps, interviews and sketches which are then analyzed by: appropriate excel diagrams and modeling at BIM software like autodesk revit and auto-cad. While quantitative data are collected by questionnaire deployed to random sample of 70 kebele households and administrative bodies. In-depth spatial and socio-economic data are collected from non-randomly selected 4 households. Study area is chose by selecting a site that is prone to such development in the downtown which perform income generating activity. Mesgid Sefer under Kulfo Ketena administration (previously known as Kulfo Kebele administration) is selected as it is located in the downtown and many old kebele houses exist with higher income generating activity. It is found out that low-income households�۪ great asset is their labor, their ability to provide services and get daily income. Activities they perform to sustain their livelihood sometimes go parallel with the domestic space requirements while some other times go against. These relationships are summarized by 5 models. It is also found out that social values are supported by street side open spaces�۪ spatial quality which connects with the active economic potential of the site. Finally, design of kebele house is proposed that can sustain the individual family and the town at bigger scale.