Atlas of Informal Settlement: Understanding Self-Organized Urban Design

The Atlas of Informal Settlement is a comparative study of the spatial logic of informal settlement, using maps and aerial photographs to examine key stages of development and reveal a complex range of actors and design processes. It demonstrates how informal settlement may or may not produce 'slums' and is already a form of 'upgrading'.

Format: Hardback
Length: 304 pages
Publication date: 05 October 2023
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC

While often perceived as unplanned or spontaneous, informal settlement is a more accurate description of a mode of production. It involves a co-evolution of architecture, urban design, and planning that encompasses informal rules and shapes urban development. The Atlas of Informal Settlement is a groundbreaking comparative study that examines the spatial logic of informal settlements by mapping and analyzing the evolution of urban form (morphogenesis) in 51 contemporary settlements across the globe. This is the first of its kind and represents a significant shift in thinking for urban studies and built environment professionals.

Each of the 51 case studies in the Atlas employs maps and aerial photographs to explore key stages of development, showcasing how informal settlements adapt to diverse contexts such as political economy, topography, culture, climate, and land tenure. It reveals a complex network of actors, including settlers, states, land mafias, and pirate developers, involved in the informal settlement process. The Atlas demonstrates the range of design processes and formal outcomes involved in informal settlement development. It illustrates how informal practices can either lead to the creation of slums or contribute to the upgrading of existing settlements.

Interspersed with short chapters introducing key theoretical concepts, the Atlas provides insights into how such practices may or may not produce slums and how settlement already constitutes a form of "upgrading." Informal settlement serves as the primary mode of production of affordable housing and neighborhood infrastructure within cities of the Global South. By conducting detailed mapping and profiling of 51 settlements, this book showcases how urban morphologies emerge in terms of architecture, urban design, and planning.

Overall, the Atlas of Informal Settlement is a valuable resource for researchers, policymakers, and practitioners interested in understanding the dynamics of informal settlement development and its implications for urban planning and design. It provides a comprehensive and nuanced understanding of the complex processes and factors that shape these settlements and offers insights into potential strategies for promoting sustainable and inclusive urban growth.

Dimension: 246 x 189 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781350295049