u/Pure_Refrigerator719

Hey everyone,

I’ve been spending a lot of time looking at satellite imagery and maps of expanding cities across Ethiopia lately, and the stark difference in urban planning between regions is pretty wild.

If you look at major growing cities in the Amhara region—especially places like Bahir Dar and the massive expansion zones in Debre Birhan—the development looks incredibly well-planned. You can clearly see a grid-like structure layout, pre-demarcated road networks, organized neighborhoods, and zoned spaces ready for infrastructure before the houses even go up. It seems like the local municipalities are actively steering the growth.

On the flip side, looking at rapidly expanding hubs in the Oromia region like Shashemene or Jimma, the vibe is completely different. The growth looks much more organic, chaotic, and resembles a sprawling unplanned settlement/slum dynamic. The houses are densely packed together with barely any layout, and there’s a noticeable lack of clear, wide transit corridors or public grid spacing.

It feels like this is setting up a massive headache for the future. We all know that retrofitting infrastructure (putting in wide roads, sewage, water lines, grid power) into already-built chaotic slums is insanely expensive and requires massive, messy expropriation/demolitions down the line. Meanwhile, building infrastructure on pre-planned vacant plots is so much cheaper and more sustainable.