Designing with floodwater: resilient meanders and streets in Addis Ababa

This article examines how floodwater can become a driver of urban resilience in Addis Ababa. Focusing
on the Upper Kebena River basin, the study analyzes how rapid urbanization, steep geomorphology, low-
infiltration soils, and fragile drainage infrastructure converge to produce recurrent fluvial, pluvial, and flash-
flood events. Building on a broader research project on Addis Ababa’s rivers, the article explores two spatial
conditions—meanders and streets—that reveal the intersection of hydrological risk, informal urbanization, and
limited public space. The first strategy, Resilient Neighborhoods, regenerates a flood-prone meander through a system of channels and parcel typologies that retain, clean, and reuse stormwater while enabling in-situ
relocation and new public amenities. The second, Sustainable Streets, retrofits dense street networks with
bioswales, modular civic elements, and micro-topographic adjustments that improve stormwater management
and enhance everyday mobility. Together, these interventions show how design-led, distributed infrastructures can work with floodwater rather than against it, linking hydrological processes with spatial, ecological, and social transformation. While grounded in Addis Ababa, the approach offers a transferable framework for cities facing similar interactions between topography, informal growth, and hydrological vulnerability.

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