Children's Street

" We shape our cities - then cities shape us. "

Jan Gehl

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More than 100,000 children roaming the streets of Addis ababa - the sizable portion of that demographics who yearn for facilities others are fortunate enough to have - left unnoticed or seen as liabilities to the society.

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Street children are the manifestation of their city & streets. A significant majority of the street children are beggars and thieves, and yet a sizable number of them fall under the International Labor Organization (ILO) classification of 'Worst Form of Child Labor Convention'. The streets of Addis Ababa are now dominantly occupied by children who are dozed off by substances and drugs in an attempt to alleviate their physical sufferings. Unable to sustain their lives, they engage themselves into bulgary, prostition, substance dealing & other villanous activities.

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Despite many efforts and programs were deployed to improve the life and acces to education & other facilities for children in need, the number of children living on the street is not decreasing. the aim of this research is to analyse the streets in the eyes of the street children & investigate approaches of sculpting streetscapes into a rehabilitating & responsivepublic goods. How can architecture play a role in shaping streets as incubators and catalysts for the children seeking a better life ? How can the streets provide for its children the needed psychological support, non-formal education and guidance on how to reintegrate back into their communities ? How can streets be an antidote to this critical urban issue ?