Remodelling The Architecture of Informal Settlements

This article studies the nature of informal settlements and how they could be remodelled to evoke an improved narrative of housing and dwelling. Informal settlements fall under the large umbrella term of squatter settlements, a dwelling typology which also includes slums, and inadequate housing (Chen, 2021, pp.3 – 4). Characteristics of informal settlements include ‘low-quality construction, inadequate infrastructure and social services’ (Chen, 2021, p.2). 

Origin and Growth of Informal Settlements:

Due to the growing increase of urbanisation, and the population within urban cities, squatter settlements have predominantly formed near the ‘urban fringe’ (Cartwright, 2025). However, the landscape of squalor and neglect has been sustained by the growth of informal settlements. These are described by three main growth typologies: settling, inserting and attaching (Dovey & King, 2011, p.13). Settling onto unclaimed land has been a constant over the origins of vernacular architecture. Whereas, the process of inserting emphasises a more persistent intention for improving quality of life, because this process tends to occur on ‘leftover fragments of urban space’ (Dovey & King, 2011, p.13). Lastly, the process of attaching, refers to the notion of using existing urban structures as a base to build on top of, mostly done by ‘room-by-room accretion’ (Dovey & King, 2011, p.13), or stacking. 

Interestingly, the negative connotations towards informal settlements relate to their immediate appearances, however, since most of these settlements are integrated into more developed communities, urban cities are quite ‘economically unsustainable without them’ (Dovey & King, 2011, p.11). This concept can be applied to the framework set out by Amos Rapoport, a theorist who stated that ‘ “If vernacular design is refined properly, spontaneous settlements can be shown to be its closest contemporary equivalent”’ (Kellett & Napier, 1995, p.12). 

Strategical Policies for Remodelling Informal Settlements:

It has been proven that evicting residents of informal settlements does not address the problem of inadequate living, because many residents would relocate to develop a new dwelling, most probably being informal. As much as architectural and urban planning solutions are needed to improve the state of such dwellings, socio-economic measures must also be considered, a few of which include implementing a ‘stronger government presence in informal settlements’ (Vahapoğlu, 2019) and acquiring land ‘in anticipation of future migration and population growth’ (Vahapoğlu, 2019). Perhaps, the only case where relocating residents of informal settlements could be beneficial would be to build service infrastructure that would be advantageous to the local community/public. An example of this is the resettlement scheme that occurred when planning to claim the land previously occupied by residents of the informal settlements (Collier et al., 2019, p.24).  

This scheme was successful as the residents were relocated to improved housing, located on Bogota’s urban fringe. Additionally, to positively contribute to the rapid urbanisation, bus systems were put in place, to improve connectivity from the improved housing scheme to other transport links in the city (Collier et al., 2019, p.24). 

Architectural Methods of Remodelling Informal Settlements: 

Given the vernacular nature of informal settlements, approaching remodelling schemes could cater towards a community-led approach. This has been described as ‘participatory design’ (Yakubu, 2024), in turn, creating a sense of pride and ownership within improved dwellings. Additionally, the role of adaptive reuse in repurposing informal settlements emphasises the sense of ownership amongst residents, as local materials are used, which pertain to the context of the surrounding landscape. This can be seen in TYIN Tegnestue’s Community Lantern scheme, built on top of debris-filled land (Halais, 2013). 

The scheme is located where Bangkok’s largest area of informal settlements once resided, demonstrating the use of vernacular materials to create an appealing atmosphere, appropriate to social and cultural contexts. The space now acts as a recreation and community centre for the residents (Halais, 2013). 

Adaptive reuse may not always be the best solution to create ameliorated dwellings, in the case of residential schemes, due to the inconsistency in the quality and availability of reclaimed or salvaged materials. However, the aforementioned model of ‘room-by-room accretion’ (Dovey & King, 2011, p.13) can be taken into account when iterating the form of a new housing scheme, built to replace existing informal settlement infrastructure. For example, La Muralla Roja, by Ricardo Bofill Taller de Arquitectura, located in Spain, takes the narrative of stacking residences on top of each other, as seen in informal settlements, however, a sense of sophistication is maintained through the materiality, extruded forms and colour schemes (Hanly, n.d).

The rise of rapid urbanisation and the growing global population have led to the growth of informal settlements in the urban fringes of developing countries, thus, necessitating an improvement in the sophistication of informal spaces, which can be done through formal approaches via socio-economical strategies, adaptive re-use, purposeful relocation and resettlement. However, these approaches require a demonstration of an analysis of the residents and their day-to-day activities (Vahapoğlu, 2019), especially since residents of informal settlements often comprise intergenerational households, reliant on one income.

References: 

1. Cartwright, J. (2025) Urban Land Use Patterns (Edexcel IGCSE Geography) [online] Available at: https://www.savemyexams.com/igcse/geography/edexcel/19/revision-notes/6-urban-environments/6-2-challenges-to-urban-environments/6-2-1-urban-land-use-patterns/ [Accessed: 16/01/25]
2. Chen, H. (2021.) Improving Makeshift Places: The Architecture and Design of Informal Settlements (Doctor of Architecture Thesis Project) Available at: https://scholarspace.manoa.hawaii.edu/bitstream/10125/76314/1/Chen_hawii_0085A_10976.pdf [Accessed: 16/01/25]
3. Collier, P., Glaeser, E., Venables, A., Blake, M., and Manwaring, P. (2019) “Policy options for informal settlements” Version 1. IGC Cities that Work Policy Framing Paper. [online] Available at: https://www.theigc.org/sites/default/files/2019/03/informal-settlements-policy-framing-paper-March-2019.pdf [Accessed: 16/01/25]
4. Dovey, K. & King, R. (2011). Forms of Informality: Morphology and Visibility of Informal Settlements. Built Environment (1978-), 37(1), 11–29. Available at: http://www.jstor.org/stable/23289768 [Accessed: 16/01/25]
5. Halais, F. (2013). Beyond Architecture [online] Available at: https://www.architecturalrecord.com/articles/5816-beyond-architecture [Accessed: 16/01/25]
6. Hanly, J. (n.d). 7 Innovative Affordable Housing Schemes Inspired by Informal Settlements [online] Available at: https://architizer.com/blog/inspiration/collections/informal-social-housing/ [Accessed: 16/01/25]
7. Kellett, P., & Napier, M. (1995). Squatter Architecture? A Critical Examination Of Vernacular Theory And Spontaneous Settlement With Reference To South America And South Africa. Traditional Dwellings and Settlements Review, 6(2), 7–24. Available at: http://www.jstor.org/stable/41757181 [Accessed: 16/01/25]
8. Vahapoğlu, Lisa. Strategies for Improving Informal Settlements. Global Health Equity Research in Translation. Eds. Frimpong Boamah, Kordas, and Raja. Community of Excellence in Global Health Equity, October 2019 [online] Available at: https://www.buffalo.edu/globalhealthequity/Resources/policy-briefs/issue-2–strategies-for-improving-informal-settlements.html [Accessed: 16/05/25]
9. Yakubu, P. (2024). How Do You Design For Informality? [online] Available at: https://www.archdaily.com/1012095/how-do-you-design-for-informality#:~:text=Research%20has%20shown%20that%20basic,growth%20pattern%20of%20informal%20settlements. [Accessed: 16/01/25]

Image URLs:

1. https://www.weforum.org/stories/2023/08/informal-settlements-are-growing-heres-how-we-provide-everyone-a/
2. https://www.sitra.fi/en/cases/bus-rapid-transit/
3. https://www.architecturalrecord.com/articles/5816-beyond-architecture
4. https://architizer.com/blog/inspiration/collections/informal-social-housing/