case study on informal settlement

Informal Urban Settlements and Slums’ Upgrading: Global Case Studies

• First Online: 17 December 2021

Cite this chapter

• Mohsen M. Aboulnaga 4 ,
• Mona F. Badran 5 &
• Mai M. Barakat 6  

698 Accesses

1 Citations

This chapter analyzes the exact variables of informal settlements and slums. It presents a full understanding, importance, and morphology of upgrading processes stated as a full review from the previous literature review. Also, a mechanism of participatory upgrading that can detect solutions to many challenges based on the beginning of slums and their history of establishment is highlighted. All prior reviews were confirmed by some selected case studies in Latin America, Europe, Asia, and Africa. There were compared concerning their upgrading problems, and how they succeeded to overcome all of them. The objective of this chapter summarizes all gathered successful procedures that were applied in these countries. It also provides a consensus on how can we reuse these slums to surmount the spreading of informal areas. The chapter also highlights the meaning and morphology of upgrading informal areas, in addition to the summary of the establishment of slums and their history. At the end of this chapter, lessons learned and recommendations have been highlighted to help all stakeholders (planners, architects, and policy-makers) to provide a roadmap on how the upgrading of slums could be a successful procedure.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

• Available as EPUB and PDF
• Read on any device
• Instant download
• Own it forever
• Compact, lightweight edition
• Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
• Free shipping worldwide - see info
• Durable hardcover edition

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Informal Settlements in Egypt. Ec.europa.eu. (2011). Retrieved 8 April 2021, from https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/cros/system/files/Informal%20Settlements%20in%20Egypt%2C%202011%20_0.pdf/ .

Sustainable development department, Egypt’s strategy for dealing with slums. (2015). Retrieved 6 April 2021, from http://schools.aucegypt.edu/Sustainability/CSD/Documents/Community/AUC%20Report%20web%20file%2020-2.pdf .

A Practical Guide to Designing, Planning, and Executing Citywide Slum Upgrading Programmes. ISBN number (Volume) 978–92–1-132,660-4. (2014). Retrieved 6 April 2021, from https://www.ohchr.org/Documents/Issues/Housing/InforamlSettlements/UNHABITAT_A_PractionalGuidetoDesigningPlanningExecuingCitywideSlum.pdf .

WHO Coronavirus (COVID-19) Dashboard. Covid19.who.int. (2020). Retrieved 6 April 2021, from https://covid19.who.int/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIsYekosGQ6wIVVrLVCh1KOQgaEAAYASAAEgLi_PD_BwE .

Muggah, R., & Florida, R. (2020). Why COVID-19 will hit the developing world’s cities hardest. World Economic Forum. Retrieved 6 April 2021, from https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/05/covid-19-will-hit-the-developing-worlds-cities-hardest-heres-why/ .

Wahba, S., Sharif, M., Mizutori, M. & Sorkin, L. (2020). Cities are on the front lines of COVID-19. World Bank Blogs. Retrieved 6 April 2021, from https://blogs.worldbank.org/sustainablecities/cities-are-front-lines-covid-19/ .

Gully, A. (2020). Coronavirus in the city. The New Humanitarian. Retrieved 6 April 2021, from https://www.thenewhumanitarian.org/interview/2020/04/01/coronavirus-cities-urban-poor/ .

The challenges of slums. Un.org . (2003). Retrieved 6 April 2021, from https://www.un.org/ruleoflaw/files/Challenge%20of%20Slums.pdf .

Kipper, R. & Fischer, M. (2009). Cairo’s informal areas between urban challenges and potentials. Cairoclimatetalks.net . Retrieved 6 April 2021, from http://cairoclimatetalks.net/sites/default/files/Cairos-Informal-Areas-Between-Urban-Challenges-and-Hidden-Potential-2009_EN.pdf .

Khalifa, M. (2011). Habitat International, Redefining slums in Egypt. Retrieved 6 April 2021, from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/248524220_Redefining_slums_in_Egypt_Unplanned_versus_unsafe_areas .

Google Scholar  

Hart, M. & King, R. (2019). To Fix City Slums, Don’t Just Knock Them Down: Involve Residents in Upgrading Efforts. World Resources Institute. Retrieved 6 April 2021, from https://www.wri.org/blog/2019/11/fix-city-slums-dont-just-knock-them-down-involve-residents-upgrading-efforts/ .

Marx, B., Stoker, T. & Suri, T. (2013). The Economics of Slums in the Developing World. Pubs.aeaweb.org . Retrieved 6 April 2021, from https://pubs.aeaweb.org/doi/pdfplus/10.1257/jep.27.4.187/ .

Streets as tools for urban transformation in slums. Ohchr.org . (2012). Retrieved 6 April 2021, from https://www.ohchr.org/Documents/Issues/Housing/InformalSettlements/UNHABITAT_StreetsasToolsforUrbanTransformationinSlums.pdf .

Haji, M. & Salim, M. (2006). The causes and consequents of informal settlements in Zanzibar. Retrieved 6 April 2021, from https://www.fig.net/resources/proceedings/fig_proceedings/fig2006/papers/ts35/ts35_01_alisulaiman_0320.pdf .

Lucci, P., Khan, A., Berliner, T. & Bhatkal, T. (2015). What works in improving the living conditions of slum dwellers? Retrieved 6 April 2021, from https://www.odi.org/sites/odi.org.uk/files/odi-assets/publications-opinion-files/10188.pdf .

COVID-19 Turns Spotlight on Slums. Worldbank.org . (2020). Retrieved 6 April 2021, from https://www.worldbank.org/en/news/feature/2020/06/10/covid-19-turns-spotlight-on-slums .

Housing & Slum Upgrading. (2020). Retrieved 6 April 2021, from https://unhabitat.org/housing-slums-upgrading .

The Participatory Slum Upgrading Programme PSUP. (2020). Retrieved 6 April 2021, from https://unhabitat.org/the-participatory-slum-upgrading-programme-psup .

Slum Almanac 2015–2016 – Tracking Improvement in the lives of Slum Dwellers. Unhabitat.org . (2016). Retrieved 6 April 2021, from https://unhabitat.org/sites/default/files/documents/2019-05/slum_almanac_2015-2016_psup.pdf/ .

Khalifa, M. (2015). Evolution of informal settlements upgrading strategies in Egypt: From negligence to participatory development. Retrieved 8 April 2021, from https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/82786899.pdf

Abdelhalim, K. (2010). Participatory Upgrading of Informal Areas, Participatory Development Programme in Urban Areas in Egypt. Retrieved 6 April 2021, from https://www.citiesalliance.org/sites/default/files/CA_Images/2010_PDP_Participatory%20Upgrading%20of%20Informal%20Areas_Decisionmakers%20Guide%20for%20Action.pdf .

National Voluntary Review on the sustainable development goals, Egypt’s national review report. (2016). Retrieved 6 April 2021, from https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/content/documents/10738egypt.pdf/ .

Diab, Y., El Shaarawy, B. & Yousry, S. (2019). Informal Settlements in the Arab Region. “Towards Arab Cities without Informal Areas”. Unhabitat.org . Retrieved 6 April 2021, from https://unhabitat.org/sites/default/files/2020/02/1-200210_regional_is_report_final_4.0.pdf .

Robinson, E., Rizov, V., Hunt, A., McNeil, J., Smith, D., Feinstein, H. & Dawson, N. (2014). Cash Poor, Creativity Rich: The No-Money Manifesto | Filmmaker Magazine. Filmmaker Magazine. Retrieved 6 April 2021, from https://filmmakermagazine.com/85656-cash-poor-creativity-rich/#.XyGMAVritPY .

Poorly planned urban development | PreventionWeb.net . Preventionweb.net . (2015). Retrieved 6 April 2021, from https://www.preventionweb.net/risk/poorly-planned-managed-urban-development .

CHAPTER 1 - INCORPORATING NATURAL HAZARD MANAGEMENT INTO THE DEVELOPMENT PLANNING PROCESS. Oas.org . (2002). Retrieved 6 April 2021, from https://www.oas.org/dsd/publications/Unit/oea66e/ch01.htm .

Sena, L. & Woldemichae, K. (2006). Disaster Prevention and Preparedness, LECTURE NOTES for Health Science Students. Cartercenter.org . Retrieved 6 April 2021, from https://www.cartercenter.org/resources/pdfs/health/ephti/library/lecture_notes/health_extension_trainees/DisasterPreventionPreparedness.pdf

Hassan, S. & Resen, M. (2008). The Transformations in the Urban Fabric of Traditional City Centers (Lebanese Experience: Case Study) | KnE Engineering . Knepublishing.com . Retrieved 6 April 2021, from https://knepublishing.com/index.php/KnE-Engineering/article/view/2158/4677 .

Ozaslan, N. (1995). Historic urban fabric: Source of inspiration for contemporary city. Etheses.whiterose.ac.uk . Retrieved 6 April 2021, from http://etheses.whiterose.ac.uk/2457/1/DX194872.pdf .

Furlan, R. & Faggion, L. (2017). Urban regeneration of GCC cities: preserving the urban fabric’s cultural heritage and social complexity. Retrieved 8 April 2021, from https://medcraveonline.com/JHAAS/urban-regeneration-of-gcc-cities-preserving-the-urban-fabricrsquos-cultural-heritage-and-social-complexity.html .

Mehmet, C. (2000). Urban Development of Komotini: Mapping of Multiculturalism and Social Segregation of the Urban Area. Journalagent.com . Retrieved 6 April 2021, from http://www.journalagent.com/megaron/pdfs/MEGARON-66376-ARTICLE-MECHMET.pdf .

Satterthwaite, D., McGranahan, G. & Tacoli, C. (2010). Urbanization and its implications for food and farming. Retrieved 6 April 2021.

Book   Google Scholar  

World Economic Forum - Home. Www3.weforum.org . (2017). Retrieved 6 April 2021, from http://www3.weforum.org/docs/Migration_Impact_Cities_report_2017_low.pdf .

Moustafa, D. (2015). The Egyptian Urban Planning, Institutional Framework. Cpas-egypt.com . Retrieved 6 April 2021, from http://www.cpas-egypt.com/pdf/Doha_Moustafa/MS.c/Egyptian%20Urban%20Planning%20Institutional%20Framework-Doha.pdf .

Regeneration of Informal Settlements towards Sustainability: A Case Study Paraskevi-Kali SOFIANOU, Greece. Fig.net . (2015). Retrieved 8 April 2021, from https://www.fig.net/resources/proceedings/fig_proceedings/fig2015/papers/ts02i/TS02I_sofianou_7627.pdf

Sofianou, E. (2015). Regeneration of informal settlements towards sustainability: A case study. Academia.edu. Retrieved 6 April 2021, from https://www.academia.edu/24321045/Regeneration_of_informal_settlements_towards_sustainability_a_case_study .

Sofianou, P. (2015). Regeneration of Informal Settlements towards Sustainability: A Case Study. Pdfs.semanticscholar.org . Retrieved 6 April 2021, from https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/c345/13b839b00a543409d630982a9448ff6e3df3.pdf .

Tsenkova, S. (2009). SELF-MADE CITIES In search of sustainable solutions for informal settlements in the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe region. Unece.org . Retrieved 6 April 2021, from https://www.unece.org/fileadmin/DAM/hlm/documents/Publications/SelfMadeCities.pdf .

Spear, R. (2020). You’ll need to upgrade Resident Services to gain more features in ACNH. iMore. Retrieved 6 April 2021, from https://www.imore.com/animal-crossing-new-horizons-how-upgrade-resident-services-tent-building .

Molony, T. (2019). Africa: Connections and Disruptions. Ecasconference.org . Retrieved 6 April 2021, from https://ecasconference.org/2019/downloads/ecas2019_programme.pdf .

Cabannes, Y. (2012). Pro-poor legal and institutional frameworks for urban and peri-urban agriculture. Fao.org . Retrieved 6 April 2021, from http://www.fao.org/3/a-i3021e.pdf .

Castelo, M. (2019). Manila’s informal settlers face relocation in exchange for clean bay. Mongabay Environmental News. Retrieved 6 April 2021, from https://news.mongabay.com/2019/10/manilas-informal-settlers-face-relocation-in-exchange-for-clean-bay .

Iovino, S. (2014). Smokey Mountain: A Walk Through The Slums Of Manila, Philippines. Lifestyle & Travel Blog. Retrieved 6 April 2021, from https://www.justonewayticket.com/2014/05/11/smokey-mountain-a-walk-through-the-slums-of-manila-philippines/ .

Hutt, R. (2014). These are the world’s five biggest slums. World Economic Forum. Retrieved 6 April 2021, from https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2016/10/these-are-the-worlds-five-biggest-slums/ .

Totaro, P. (2016). Insight: Slumscapes – How the world’s five biggest slums are shaping their futures. U.S. Retrieved 6 April 2021, from https://www.reuters.com/article/us-slums-united-nations-world/insight-slumscapes-how-the-worlds-five-biggest-slums-are-shaping-their-futures-idUSKBN12H1GC/ .

Chandrababu, D. (2014). Slums - A problem or solution? – IAAC Blog. IAAC Blog. Retrieved 6 April 2021, from http://www.iaacblog.com/programs/slums-a-problem-or-solution .

Lucas, R. (2015). Internal Migration in Developing Economies: An Overview, Global Knowledge Partnership. Retrieved 6 April 2021, from https://www.knomad.org/sites/default/files/2017-04/KNOMAD%20Working%20Paper%206_Lucas_Internal%20Migration.pdf/ .

Sustainability centre leads the way with green retrofit recovery in the South East | Charity Today News. Charity Today News. (2020). Retrieved 6 April 2021, from https://www.charitytoday.co.uk/sustainability-centre-leads-the-way-with-green-retrofit-recovery-in-the-south-east/ .

Ericson, J. (2010). Marketing Services in Emerging Economies – A case study of a base of the pyramid initiative in Kenya. Retrieved 6 April 2021, from https://www.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2:422694/FULLTEXT01.pdf/ .

Torres, J. (2019). Visiting the Kibera slums in Kenya - Against the Compass. Against the Compass. Retrieved 6 April 2021, from https://againstthecompass.com/en/kibera-slums-visiting/ .

Kenya Orphanage Volunteer Project | Go Volunteer Africa. Go Volunteer Africa. (2017). Retrieved 6 April 2021, from http://govolunteerafrica.org/orphanage-volunteer-project-in-kenya/ .

Lee, K. (2011). Getting the Word Out Volunteering in Africa. Iave.org . Retrieved 6 April 2021, from https://www.iave.org/iavewp/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/IAVE-Report_Africa-Regional-Meeting-Corrected.pdf .

Mayoyo, P. (2015). How to grow food in a slum: lessons from the sack farmers of Kibera. The Guardian. Retrieved 6 April 2021, from https://www.theguardian.com/global-development-professionals-network/2015/may/18/how-to-grow-food-in-a-slum-sack-farmers-kibera-urban-farming/ .

Francho, A. (2010). Favelas in Rio de Janeiro, Past and Present | Brazil: Five Centuries of Change. Library.brown.edu . Retrieved 6 April 2021, from https://library.brown.edu/create/fivecenturiesofchange/chapters/chapter-9/favelas-in-rio-de-janeiro-past-and-present/ .

Briso, C. & Phillips, T. (2020). Rio’s favelas count the cost as deadly spread of Covid-19 hits city’s poor. The Guardian. Retrieved 6 April 2021, from https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/apr/25/rio-favelas-coronavirus-brazil/ .

Kibera. THE LUNCHBOWL NETWORK. (2020). Retrieved 6 April 2021, from https://www.lunchbowl.org/kibera.html/ .

Simpson, M. & Silva, I. (2019). Rio de Janeiro’s Favelas: A Status Update from the South | Urbanet. Urbanet. Retrieved 6 April 2021, from https://www.urbanet.info/rio-de-janeiros-favelas-a-status-update-from-the-south/ .

Wallenfeldt, J. (2019). Favela Brazilian Shantytown. Retrieved 6 April 2021, from https://www.britannica.com/topic/favela .

Hoegh-Guldberg, O., Jacob, D. & Taylor, M. (2019). Chap. 3: Impacts of 1.5 °C global warming on natural and human systems. Ipcc.ch. Retrieved 6 April 2021, from https://www.ipcc.ch/site/assets/uploads/sites/2/2019/03/SR15_SOD_Chapter3.pdf .

Habib, S. (2017). Dealing with Slums in Egypt: Learning from the Success Factors of International Experience. Dar.aucegypt.edu . Retrieved 6 April 2021, from http://dar.aucegypt.edu/bitstream/handle/10526/5021/PPAD_Thesis_Dealing%20with%20Slums%20in%20Egypt_Sylivia%20Maher_Jan%202017.pdf?sequence=3 .

Payne, G. (2007). Social and economic impacts of land titling programmes in urban and peri-urban areas: A review of the literature. Retrieved 6 April 2021, from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/228789869_Social_and_economic_impacts_of_land_titling_programmes_in_urban_and_peri-urban_areas_A_review_of_the_literature/ .

El Menshawya, A., Alya, S. & Salmana, A. (2011). Sustainable upgrading of informal settlements in the developing world, case study: Ezzbet Abd El Meniem Riyadh, Alexandria, Egypt. Retrieved 6 April 2021, from https://pdf.sciencedirectassets.com/278653/1-s2.0-S1877705811X00176/1-s2.0-S1877705811048351/main.pdf .

Nassar, D. (2018). From Informal Settlements to sustainable communities. Retrieved 6 April 2021, from https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S111001681730279X/ .

Banerjee, B., Acioly, C., Egziabher, A., Clos, J. & Dietrich, K. (2011). Streets as tools for urban transformation in slums: A Street-Led Approach to Citywide Slum Upgrading. UN - Habitat. Retrieved 6 April 2021, from https://www.ohchr.org/Documents/Issues/Housing/InformalSettlements/UNHABITAT_StreetsasToolsforUrbanTransformationinSlums.pdf/ .

CITY DEVELOPMENT STRATEGIES TO REDUCE POVERTY. ADB. (2004). Retrieved 6 April 2021, from http://163.121.56.10/gopp%20web%20site/comp/Comparative%20-%20ex%20-%20CDStoReducePoverty.pdf .

Ezz, M. (2018). How Egypt Deals with Informal Areas. TIMEP. Retrieved 6 April 2021, from https://timep.org/commentary/analysis/how-egypt-deals-with-informal-areas .

Chyn, E. (2018). Moved to Opportunity: The Long-Run Effects of Public Housing Demolition on Children. American Economic Association. Retrieved 8 April 2021, from https://www.aeaweb.org/articles?id=10.1257/aer.20161352

Egan, M., Lawson, L., Kearns, A., Conway, E. & Neary, J. (2015). Neighbourhood demolition, relocation and health – a qualitative longitudinal study of housing-led urban regeneration in Glasgow, UK. PMS. Retrieved 6 April 2021, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4463975 .

Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, Drainage Services Department, Stormwater Drainage Manual. Dsd.gov.hk . (2018). Retrieved 6 April 2021, from https://www.dsd.gov.hk/EN/Files/Technical_Manual/technical_manuals/Stormwater_Drainage_Manual_Eurocodes.pdf .

Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific, Community Infrastructure in Urban Areas, Creating Jobs While Improving Low-Income Settlements. Ilo.org . (2007). Retrieved 6 April 2021, from https://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/@asia/@ro-bangkok/documents/genericdocument/wcms_099553.pdf .

Gonim, A. & Abougabal, H. (2016). Resolving Egypt’s Housing Crisis Crucial to Long-Term Stability. Middle East Institute. Retrieved 6 April 2021, from https://www.mei.edu/publications/resolving-egypts-housing-crisis-crucial-long-term-stability/ .

United Nations Human Settlement Projects, the challenges of slums, Global report on human settlement. Un.org . (2003). Retrieved 6 April 2021, from https://www.un.org/ruleoflaw/files/Challenge%20of%20Slums.pdf .

Lucci, P. (2015). How can we improve living conditions in slums? Lessons from Bangkok, Lima and Ahmedabad, City metric. Retrieved 6 April 2021, from https://www.citymetric.com/authors/2026 .

Mahabir, R., Crooks, A., Croitoru, A. & Agouris, P. (2016). The study of slums as social and physical constructs: challenges and emerging research opportunities. Taylor & Francis. Retrieved 6 April 2021, from https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/21681376.2016.1229130 .

Download references

Author information

Authors and affiliations.

Department of Architecture, Cairo University, Faculty of Engineering, Giza, Greater Cairo, Egypt

Mohsen M. Aboulnaga

Department of Economics, Cairo University, Faculty of Economics and Political Science, Giza, Greater Cairo, Egypt

Mona F. Badran

Department of Architecture, Misr University for Science and Technology (MUST), Faculty of Engineering, Giza, Greater Cairo, Egypt

Mai M. Barakat

You can also search for this author in PubMed   Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2021 Springer Nature Switzerland AG

About this chapter

Aboulnaga, M.M., Badran, M.F., Barakat, M.M. (2021). Informal Urban Settlements and Slums’ Upgrading: Global Case Studies. In: Resilience of Informal Areas in Megacities – Magnitude, Challenges, and Policies. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-87794-1_3

Download citation

DOI : https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-87794-1_3

Published : 17 December 2021

Publisher Name : Springer, Cham

Print ISBN : 978-3-030-87793-4

Online ISBN : 978-3-030-87794-1

eBook Packages : Social Sciences Social Sciences (R0)

Share this chapter

Anyone you share the following link with will be able to read this content:

Sorry, a shareable link is not currently available for this article.

Provided by the Springer Nature SharedIt content-sharing initiative

• Publish with us

Policies and ethics

• Find a journal
• Track your research

Informal settlements and climate change in the ‘last mile of urbanization’

Subscribe to planet policy, angela r. pashayan angela r. pashayan political scientist and professor - american university school of international service.

February 29, 2024

This viewpoint is part of  Foresight Africa 2024 .

Rapid urbanization and climate change are impacting informal settlements in sub-Saharan Africa. An informal settlement or slum is generally defined as a highly populated urban area that has no infrastructure for human habitation and is densely packed with dwelling units constructed with weak materials of poor quality. Climate change affects slum communities disproportionately when compared to their formal counterparts. Informal settlements are formed organically by residents who occupy land not planned for residential living. Aside from having no infrastructure, the land is precarious and unwanted, often near industry structures or dumpsites along rivers.  Hidden from sight are the impacts of climate change on food insecurity, malnutrition, and disease in these communities. Policy change is urgent: Residents of informal settlements make up over 60% of the urban population on the continent of Africa. 1

Since late 2016 , drought has plagued the African continent, particularly in East Africa, creating food insecurity and malnutrition. In March 2023, the  World Health Organization  reported 7,800 cholera cases in Kenya due to drought and 122 deaths. While our minds habitually go to areas in northern Kenya—like Turkana—or eastern Kenya—like Tana River, urban Nairobi was also affected. In Nairobi, the  Kenyan Ministry of Health reported 11,181 cholera cases and 196 fatalities in July 2023. A targeted cholera campaign intended to vaccinate 300 Nairobi residents per day was surpassed, reaching 500 residents per day, according to the vaccine organization GAVI. 2 Effective infrastructure can mitigate disease and health issues related to climate change in informal settlements.

In 2022,  600 people were killed  in Nigeria’s worst flood in decades. In the same year, floods in  West and Central Africa  affected 8.2 million people in 20 countries—killing 1,418, injuring 4,398, and displacing 2.9 million people. While formally planned urban areas are zoned in locations safe for habitation, informal settlements are in precarious locations, often beside rivers, making residents more vulnerable to floods. For many slum residents, the river becomes a  dumping ground  for trash and waste. Each year,  homes along Kenya’s Ngong River  float away during rapid flooding due to climate-induced heavy rainfall, after which residents search for their belongings and  missing relatives. Excess water lays dormant near homes and attracts mosquitos which may carry malaria or other blood-borne diseases like yellow fever, dengue fever, or West Nile. 3 Stagnant water breeds more waterborne diseases than running water, including typhoid fever, cholera, giardia, dysentery, e-coli, hepatitis, and salmonella, all of which put residents of informal settlements near excess flood water at risk.

Excessive heat

The realities of increasing urbanization, rising average temperatures, and the population density in informal settlements gained attention during the COVID-19 pandemic. 4 Living in high-density slums increases heat due to a lack of open space. Heat makes you sweat, causing you to lose the water you have in the body. These effects are heightened for residents of informal settlements who cannot afford the recommended fresh water intake. In high-density slums, dwellings are, on average, approximately 10ft x 12ft with one or no windows at all, occupied by up to six people, and built along narrow 2-3ft mud paths. Slum dwellings are typically constructed of cinder-block, mud, and sticks, or corrugated tin. Some of these materials hold heat, leading to increased human suffering as temperatures continue to increase in urban cities. A study from Johns Hopkins University on climate revealed that Nairobi’s slums range from 5 to 10 degrees Fahrenheit hotter than the central business district. 5

With the 1.4 billion population boom expected by 2063, informal settlements and climate-based issues must be addressed, lest half the population of Africa be lost due to lack of foresight.

Policy recommendations

The reality that over 60% of Africa’s urban population live in informal settlements cannot be denied, nor can it be denied that a country’s population is its best asset. With the 1.4 billion population boom expected by 2063, informal settlements and climate-based issues must be addressed, lest half the population of Africa be lost due to lack of foresight. 6 In light of these facts, my recommendations are: 1. Settle land tenure issues in slums. A working model is community tenancy. 2. Change the development approach: Ditch the high-rise model and upgrade slums with water and sanitation, keeping climate-smart ecology at the forefront of design.  3. Enact eco-measures to prevent rivers from overflowing and to capture excessive water to offset droughts. 4. Empower paid community health workers to manage 50 homes each in informal settlements for basic health issues, and to accurately report data linked to climate change. 5. Use micro-carbon credits to incentivize community-led kitchens that use clean gas to deter the use of wood and charcoal for cooking in slums. Addressing the challenges in informal settlements is key to fostering climate-resilient urban cities. The last mile of urbanization can be reached with climate at the forefront of “Leapfrogging to Settle the Informal Settlement,” that blends African Village Culture with climate-smart urban living as a blueprint for reclaiming the health and resilience of 60% of the continental population.

Related Content

January 23, 2024

Ede Ijjasz-Vasquez, Jamal Saghir, Morgan Richmond

February 22, 2024

Ede Ijjasz-Vasquez, Jamal Saghir

August 18, 2023

• Amegah, A. Kofi. “Slum decay in Sub-Saharan Africa: Context, environmental pollution challenges, and impact on dweller’s health.” Environmental Epidemiology 5.3 (2021).
• Joyce Chimbi. 2023. “Averting a cholera disaster in Nairobi’s informal settlements.” Gavi. https://www.gavi.org/vaccineswork/averting-cholera-disaster-nairobis-informal-settlements#:~:text=%22The%20number%20of%20people%20 vaccinated,City%20County%20department%20of%20health.
• Nabatanzi, Maureen, et al. 2022. “Malaria outbreak facilitated by increased mosquito breeding sites near houses and cessation of indoor residual spraying, Kole district, Uganda, January-June 2019.” BMC Public Health 22.1: 1898.
• Mehrolhassani, Mohammad Hossein, et al. 2022. “Health protection challenges of slums residents during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the social determinants of health framework: A case study of Kerman city in Iran.” Journal of Education and Health Promotion 11.
• Scott, Anna A., et al. 2017. “Temperature and heat in informal settlements in Nairobi.” PloS one 12.11: e0187300.
•  Weny, K., R. Snow, and S. Zhang. 2017. “The demographic dividend atlas for Africa: Tracking the potential for a demographic dividend.” UNFPA.

Climate Action & Justice Climate Adaptation & Resilience Climate Change Climate Disasters & Environment

Sub-Saharan Africa

Global Economy and Development

Africa Sub-Saharan Africa

Africa Growth Initiative Brookings Initiative on Climate Research and Action

Jenny Schuetz, Adie Tomer

May 6, 2024

Nasrin Siddiqa, Atenea Rosado-Viurques

April 23, 2024

Carlos Martín, Carolyn Kousky, Karina French, Manann Donoghoe

Search form

Case Study: Informal Settlements and Rights in Conflict

This inquiry case focuses on the complicated decision-making process of urban development in Seoul, South Korea. How can a controversial slum development project like the Guryong Village development, which involves multiple groups and characters, be best planned and implemented from a public official’s view? Seoul has experienced rapid urbanization since the 1960s, and the emergence of Gangnam, the wealthiest region in the country, began in the 1970s. Guryong Village is the largest, and one of the few remaining, informal settlements in South Korea, antithetically situated on the fringe of Gangnam. The intended audience for this case includes public officials, students, and community service professionals.

Rising from the ashes of the Korean War in the 1950s, Seoul, South Korea has experienced rapid urbanization since the 1960s. The emergence of Gangnam, the wealthiest region in the country, began in the 1970s; by contrast, Guryong Village, the largest and one of the few remaining informal settlements in Seoul, is located in the southernmost part of the Gangnam District, surrounded by a large green space. The village occupies approximately 260,000 square meters, with about 1,100 households occupying 350 units. Close to 60 percent of the settlers are older adults earning less than KR100 million (about US$920) per month, which is about one-quarter of the national household income average.

In 2013, approximately 90 percent of the land in the Guryong Village was privately owned by 112 individuals, none of whom are villagers.1 Jung, a former real-estate developer, owned 49 percent of the land at the time, having begun to purchase it in the early 2000s with the goal of private development; he had even petitioned government agencies multiple times but failed to win their approval.

Since the 1970s, the village has been a continuous subject of development plans, mainly due to safety (e.g., flood and fire) and health and sanitation (e.g., sewer and trash) issues, but the discordant and complicated relationship between government agencies—Seoul’s and Gangnam District’s—has hindered decision-making. Each jurisdiction supported different options to obtain and develop village land while trying to protect the interests of both the villagers and the landowners.

Given these competing parties, three options emerged regarding Guryong Village’s future:

1. Taking all of the village land for public development (which is favored by the district)

2. Taking a major portion of the land and readjusting the rest for public and private development (which is favored by the city)

3. Maintaining the status quo (which is favored by a minor portion of the villagers).

Recommended citation: Kim, Jongwoong. 2018. “Informal Settlements and Rights in Conflict: An inquiry case of Guryong Village Land Development in Seoul, South Korea.” Case study. Cambridge, MA: Lincoln Institute of Land Policy.

Join Our Mailing List

Academia.edu no longer supports Internet Explorer.

To browse Academia.edu and the wider internet faster and more securely, please take a few seconds to  upgrade your browser .

Enter the email address you signed up with and we'll email you a reset link.

• We're Hiring!
• Help Center

Research Proposal Informal settlements: A case study on the informal settlements of Kabul City, Afghanistan.

Informal or squatter settlements or as referred to slums during the 18th century are still existed in a large number in our society and they are created by low income or poor people or a result of having an adequate planning systems. The origin can be traced back to the “Victorian Slums” in England during mid of 18th century where the word of slum appeared for the first time in the reports (UN HABITAT, 2007). Today this is a major issue in many developing countries, such as Afghanistan, Turkey, Pakistan, India, Latin America and many more. Numerous governments and humanitarian aid organizations such as United Nations, World Bank, UN-HABITAT and USAID have gathered up to fight this problem and how they can find suitable solutions for them. Afghanistan as a developing country which recently has been retrieved from a long war and it is one of those countries that its urbanization is affected widely by the informal living conditions. The main aim of this paper is to find the key factors for the creation of these informal settlements in the Kabul city, the capital of Afghanistan. However these settlements in most cases are not slums which are described by the Oxford dictionary “a squalid and overcrowded urban street or district inhabited by very poor people”. I would argue that there are people in these areas, who are counted as the top income bracket people in the society, therefore in Kabul these places are a mixture of both rich and poor people, and often they are called informal settlements. The study will gather qualitative data from the participants such as local residents, academic and government officials and quantitative data from the current planning system policies and secondary source information from organization involved in the urban planning process.

Related Papers

Transactions of The Japan Society for Aeronautical and Space Sciences

hamidreza jafari

Journal of Sustainable Development

Samuel Wapwera

Nattasit Srinurak

To make city sustainable the road system is the most priority to consider in urban planning. Chiang Mai is primary city in the north of Thailand with polycentric development which urban planning encourages decentralization of development into suburban and also had transportation planning that contribute city growth to satellite districts. It designate ring road as linkage between satellite districts. But after urban planning was expired in 2006 and there was no urban planning control in that period for 7 years. This study aims to clarify effects after the road constructed in uncontrolled urban plan period. The study found that housing development have occurred which causes more distance between work space and residential are and suburban area change into automobile oriented development furthermore citizen of Chiang Mai have more personal vehicle dependency leading to higher energy consumption and traffic problem. The urban sprawls along the ring road also scatter in agricultural area and indirectly make flooding and air pollution worse than before. The Chiang Mai's development policy must encourage the sustainable planning by strengthening urban promotion and/or urban control area to resolve vehicle dependency problem through urban planning regulation and public transport strategies.

Southeast Asian Geotechnical Society (SEAGS)

The TOULON highway tunnel is located in a very dense urban environment, and a much complex geology. The excavated section is about 120 m 2 and the depth is in the range 15-35 m. The aim of the paper is to show how a great attention was paid to the settlements control: at the design stage through soils investigations, survey of existing constructions in regards to their sensibility to tunnel induced settlement, definition of settlements thresholds, and choice of ground pre-reinforcement techniques; during the construction, by heavy monitoring of deformations and continuous adaptation of the supports to the actual settlements and buildings behavior. This case history is an illustration of how the settlements induced by tunneling can be managed for any urban tunnel, mainly in old cities.

Latifa Sitadevi

Chief Editor

Code based design of piles with NSF consider the NSF force as a dragload to be imposed on the pile as an unfavourable design action. These codes like Singapore CP4, UK BS 8004 and the recent EC7 would indirectly factor up the value of the dragload while at the same time factor down the positive shaft friction below the neutral plane. Thus the pile design in very deep soft clays typical of Singapore and Asean coastal plains will lead to very conservative pile lengths to meet the code requirements. The Unified pile design method of Fellenius recognized this deficiency and it allows for better pile design with NSF taking into account the need for both force and settlement equilibrium between pile and soil. Fortunately, EC7 also allows for interactive pile/soil analysis using modern FEM tools that can optimise pile design for NSF, particularly when the remaining consolidation settlements around the piles are relatively small. This paper will compare these methods and provide insights into the proper understanding of NSF effects on pile behaviour, and recommend the way forward for rational and economical pile design in settling soils.

Ahmed Hammad

The Social idealism has been associated to utopia, where lots of trials have been taken aiming to reach the ideal state in different fields, such as: philosophy, technology, urban planning, politics, economy and others. The utopic thought have been also merged with architectural thought, that helped in the evolution of architecture and helped to present the futuristic city; as well as developing new technological, social and other typologies. The research examines the notion of idealism, and the relation of utopic thought with both architectural and urban thought. The research also reviews the utopic evolution, specially in architecture of the 20th century, that resulted in affecting both current and futuristic architecture.

Mabel Hoedoafia

In recent times, there has been a surge in small scale mining activities in Ghana which has made significant contributions to the national gold output, foreign exchange earnings, and employment among others. This paper investigated the impact of small scale gold mining on the living conditions of the people of the West Gonja District in the Northern Region of Ghana. The research involved: (a) the determination of gender and generation roles in small scale mining activities; (b) the determination of the effect of mining activities on employment, education, health, agriculture and cost of living of the people in the district and (c) The identification of the areas of interventions that will eradicate the negative effects of small scale gold mining in the district. Data of sampled households in four communities in Damongo was gathered and analyzed. The research methods included; semi structured interviews, validated self-administered questionnaires and observations. Sampling of communities and households was done using a combination of stratified and simple random sampling procedures. The study revealed varied effects with respect to small scale miners and the general community. Small scale mining has contributed positively in improving the lives of the people in the form of employment, revenue generation and meeting health, educational and basic family needs. It also confirmed the associated social, and environmental negative effects of small scale mining. The paper concludes that in the absence of a viable alternative source of economic livelihood, the West Gonja District Assembly should organize small scale miners into groups, assist them to acquire equipment needed for their operations and regularly monitor and control their activities.

RELATED PAPERS

Ekaterina Riise

International Research in Education

Evelyn C H I Y E V O GARWE

Petros Koufopoulos , Marina M Myriantheos

Stuart Flint

My Life is like the Summer Rose

Holly Pittman

Journal of Water Resources Planning and Management-asce

Andreas N Angelakis , Panagiwtis Defteraios

Helmut Yabar

SSRN Electronic Journal

Marjan Nikolov

RELATED TOPICS

•   We're Hiring!
•   Help Center
• Find new research papers in:
• Health Sciences
• Earth Sciences
• Cognitive Science
• Mathematics
• Computer Science
• Academia ©2024

The Bartlett Development Planning Unit

• Advisory Services
• Publications

Book launch of 'Informal Settlements of the Global South'

15 May 2024, 4:00 pm–6:00 pm

Join us for a conversation between Gihan Karunaratne and Henk Wildschut, Fabienne Hoelzel, and Nishat Awan about Gihan's newly published book Informal Settlements of the Global South (Routledge, 2024).

Event Information

Availability.

This event does not require registration.

With case studies that span the globe, from the US-Mexico borderlands to the Calais encampment in France, and from refugee camps in Kenya, Uganda, and Bangladesh to ‘informal’ enclaves in the cities of India, China, Brazil, Nigeria, and South Africa, this book challenges current global perspectives on human settling, mobility, and placemaking. Its content is not just relevant to one region but to the entire world, making it a must-read for anyone interested in the global dynamics of human settlements. Together, the 15 essays in this book question the validity of the conventional hegemonic divisions of Global North vs. Global South and ‘formal’ vs. ‘informal’ in terms of geographic presence, transborder performances, and the ideological inter-dependence of Northern and Southern spaces, spatial practices, and the uniformity of authoritative enforcements. The book, whose authors come from all over the world, uses ‘Global South’ as a methodological apparatus to ask the ‘Southern’ question of settling and unsettling across the globe. Crucially, the studies reveal the sentiments, resourcefulness, and agency of those positioned by the powerful within the dichotomies of formal/informal, legitimate/ illegal, privileged/marginalized, etc. This emphasis on agency and resourcefulness can inspire hope and empowerment in the reader. By focusing on hitherto invisible events and untold stories of adaptation, negotiation, and contestation by people and their communities, this volume of essays takes the ongoing North-South debate in new directions. It opens up fresh areas of inquiry for the reader. It offers a unique perspective that will intrigue and stimulate the curiosity of researchers and students of architecture, planning, politics, and sociology, as well as built environment professionals. The launch will be introduced and moderated by Dr Paroj Banerjee and Dr Azadeh Mashayekhi.    

Panel Members

Gihan Karunaratne  is a Sri Lankan-born British architect who studied at the Royal College of Arts and Bartlett School of Architecture. He has taught and lectured in Architecture, Urban Design, and Interior Design in the UK, Sri Lanka, and China. He writes and researches extensively on architecture and urban design. Gihan’s current research interests are in architecture and urban conditions within cities, which are undergoing constant physical, economic, or social changes in urban living patterns. He has researched and explored the city's underbelly in many of his projects in detail, specifically focusing on non-conformist marginalized communities. From urban transition courses and temporality in the Global South, he remains actively engaged in urban research focusing on informal settlements and communities.

Photographer  Henk Wildschut’ s work is characterized by a contemplative and often distant view of the people and situations he photographs. This adds a balance and monumental quality to his photographs, inviting viewers to reflect further on the subject. In 2005, he started a long-term project around European illegal immigration. When visiting several refugee camps worldwide, Henk was intrigued by the need for domesticity. Small gardens around the tents became a universal symbol of hope and resilience.  

Fabienne Hoelzel  is a Professor of Urban Design at the Stuttgart State Academy of Art and Design and the Founder-Director of FABULOUS URBAN. Formally, Fabienne was the head of the Urban Design and Planning Team at the Housing and Urban Development Authority of the City of São Paulo, Brazil, and twice a research associate at the Institute for Urban Design at ETH Zurich. Her field of research is planning theory. FABULOUS URBAN is an urban design practice, think-tank, and NGO specializing in research-led design in regions of the global South. Fabienne is involved in civil society-led urban planning policy development and strategic small-scale upgrading projects in low-income communities in Lagos, Nigeria, through the organization.

Nishat Awan  is an architecture and visual culture professor at UCL Urban Laboratory, the Bartlett (UK). Situated between art and architectural practice, Nishat Awan’s research and writing explore displacement, migration, and border regimes. She is interested in modes of spatial representation, mainly digital representation, and the limits of witnessing as a form of ethical engagement with distant places. She led the ERC-funded project, Topological Atlas, on the counter-geographies of migrants as they encountered the border security apparatus. Her book, Diasporic Agencies (Routledge, 2016), addressed how architecture and urbanism can respond to the consequences of increasing migration. She has written on alternative modes of architectural production in the co-authored book Spatial Agency (Routledge, 2011) and the co-edited book Trans-Local-Act (aaa-peprav, 2011).