Launched in 2019, the Addis Ababa Living Lab originated as a response to a call for research proposals announced in 2018 by the Dutch Research Council – Science for Global Development (NWO-WOTRO). The announcement called for propositions that would target solutions to global challenges encouraging contributions to the three dimensions of sustainable development: economic, societal and environmental focus. With a proposal that focused on concerns of urban resettlement programs and consequent effects on living conditions, the “Addis Ababa Living Lab: Creating Resilient Dwelling Clusters for Urban Resettlement” was one of the 13 proposals awarded a research grant. The main objective of the project is to improve the livelihood of Addis Ababa’s urban dwellers using transdisciplinary approaches of analysis, planning, and design. Such transdisciplinary approach is achieved through a co-creation model that offers a direct collaboration bridging research in both the Netherlands and in Ethiopia. The collaborative approach not only involves university participation from the Technical University of Delft and the Ethiopian Institute of Architecture, Building Construction and City Development (EiABC), but it also extends to governmental agencies, international design practices, and non-profit organizations that fortify the project consortium.