Strengths and weaknesses of new urban forms generated by informality and illegality

INTRODUCTION

"Spread city" (Weber) or "citta difusa" (Secchi), "generic city" (Koolhaas), "irregular housing",…terms are numerous to categorise urban forms generated by an unplanified, uncontrolled urbanisation, made by invasions or illegal occupations, clandestine transformations (Navez-Bouchanine, Jamaļ), functional and planning divisions, rampant speculation,… in both North and South . The recognition of a "morphological reality" and a legitimacy (in default of legality) of these forms, the apology of the informal ("African self-help" as a globalised model, for Koolhaas), the ephemeral, the mobile, the periphery,… against technocratic and authoritarian urban planning, is nerveless most of the time a dismissal of public authorities for "common good" (T.Paquot), in favour of the marked beneficiary and to the detriment of the poor. How to avoid these diversions of sense? What are the strengths and weaknesses of these new urban forms, in political terms, for management, as concrete responses urban challenges and the expectations of disavantaged populations? What kind of legality can be built on the legitimacy of these locally initiated processes? Which implications for urban research and European researchers?

REPORT

Relevance of the Urban Form Issue

The aim is an inclusive city, not simply a more productive city.

In spatial terms, there is no 'informal' city. Every city has a form. Therefore, we adopt the term irregular settlements.

Irregular settlements have inherent weaknesses and strengths / opportunities which may be enhanced or constrained by their particular urban form and its resilience.

The most obvious weakness related to the urban form issue is the increased difficulty to connect to urban infrastructure and services, resulting in settlements of social and institutional exclusion. This, in turn, exacerbates certain problems including violence, unemployment, unsanitary conditions, etc. Secondly, environmental degradation and the creation of environmental hazards are the common by-products of such urban forms.

Meanwhile, there are numerous strengths/ opportunities afforded by the peculiar spatial development of the irregular settlement. Among them is the opportunity to access resources, which are otherwise not available (land and housing, social networks, informal credit systems, job opportunities, etc.). As well, the fact that irregular settlements are not strictly 'controlled' allows for flexible appropriation of space and its use, thus augmenting their contribution to the economic development of the city.

Although the above listed weaknesses and strengths /opportunities are generally valid, it is important to recognize a diversity of realities - resulting in instances where the same element can be a weakness in one location and a strength in another site culture and moment in time.

Policy Implications

To obtain an inclusive city, we must first recognize the existence of diverse urban fabrics within a city structure. Thereafter, we need to enhance the physical, socio-cultural integration of irregular settlements. In the present process of liberalization and globalization, where public resources are diminishing and the numbers of the urban poor are exponentially increasing, this process requires presence and contribution of all urban actors - including the public, private and informal sectors. In this context, the role of local governments is essential. Local governments need to become the central actors in facilitating partnerships in order to realize strategies and projects, which make the city more inclusive. The ultimate goal is to protect and strengthen the collective arena, which includes a range of activities, from participatory decision making to the production of spaces of social encounters.

Practical Implications

The inclusive city requires the revision of official standards and regulations. Most often, these official norms are the cause of irregular settlements. Norms need to be re-written to correspond to the needs and capacities of the population, strengthening the existing diversified urban fabrics of the developing city. In order to be legitimate, they must be clear, enforceable and enforced in order to limit discriminatory (exclusionary) practices.

Secondly, following the policy implications whereby local governments become key facilitators between the public, private and informal sectors, a strategic approach to planning of the city is the only viable option. Strategic planning has to rest upon a consensus of non-negotiable principles that reinforce the public realm, while allowing flexibility and adaptivity to the dynamics of the city. Strategic planning, through relatively simple and cost-effective means, is the only tool to orient the urban form towards an efficient and equitable city. This can be done through the definition of a series of strategic projects, which aim to generate income, reinforce the public realm, achieve a balance between the productive and consumptive use of space, and strengthen the spatial structure of the city.

In the 20th century, the issue was the right to housing. In the 21st century, it has become the right to the city. Local governments have to guarantee an inclusive city by means of access to services for all citizens, including sociable and safe urban spaces.

Research Implications

Globalization is changing the dynamics of irregular settlements. One area for further research includes the understanding of the economic transformations that occur within the settlements and their related spatial consequences. Related to this, is a questioning of the impact and requirements of 'social capital' upon the spatial structure of the settlements and the way in which these factors change the interdependency of irregular settlement and the city.

In order to revise the norms and regulations of the city, there is a need for new analytical tools to understand the existing and evolving forms of irregular settlements.

The emerging demands of the right to the city, requires not only an understanding of and support to irregular settlement upgrading, but also the development of new tools for implementing upgrading policies. Partnerships between public, private and informal sectors must collaborate and address the economic, social, environmental and spatial aspects of incremental improvements.

Further research could also be developed in regards to typological and morphological 'inventions' of the irregular settlements. The 'models' of the irregular settlements can thereafter be appropriated by the formal city.

ESF/N-AERUS: International workshop - Leuven and Brussels, Belgium, 23-26 May 2001

N-AERUS: Network-Association of European Researchers on Urbanisation in the South
http://www.naerus.net