ADDIS ABABA
Population: 3.4 million (2008 estimates)
Addis Ababa is the largest city in Ethiopia and home to 25 percent of the country’s population. Population growth fueled by rural migration puts the city on pace to double in size within 15 years, straining existing public services such as clean water and sanitation.
Recent measures to increase resilience include the development of a BRT line to alleviate urban congestion and a public works program to address an unemployment rate above 22 percent.
Rapid urbanization has also increased the risk of deadly fires in Addis Ababa. Many of these residential fires occur in informal settlements, making it harder for emergency responders to contain fires once they start.
