Since this park was for the people, the design drew upon local architectural themes, mixed with European architecture. There were spaces for gatherings and coffee services, playing fields, a monumental sculpture, restrooms and places to sit under the trees.

The park would have been fenced, with contolled points of entry - since security was already posing a problem in Ethiopia before 9/11.

We don't know what got built, but it was probably a lot of turf with pure European style buildings. For some reason, people seem to want a uniform building style all over the world.

We saw this trend in Indonesia, where large developments looked just like Orange County, California. Funny how we spend a lot of money to go to places with unique character, but don't seem to want to build them ourselves.

Often in international projects, American designers are called upon to design "American" things, rather than for their ability to create unique spaces that reflect the character and history of where they're built.

So, the question of "why would I want to go to Africa to feel like I'm in Orange County?" remains a mystery.