As Sennett states, vernacular urbanism is looking for ways in which new forms can emerge from the old ones while still relating to them, which is precisely what “Vernacular Urbanism” by Cristian Rancati tries to explore. Combining today’s necessities of an expanding city like Addis Ababa with the identity and values of its historical city center, the project carries the idea that repeatability does not mean applying an equal solution for all contexts. Via a flexible model able to adapt better to any type of context, the project adopts a combination of different new typologies that still speak to the historical buildings, creating spaces with similar configuration but different functions. Both public and collective, this architectural and urban diversity provides the condition for an inclusive city, where people from different social classes, but even students and workers can meet sharing the same space, avoiding problems related with segregation.

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