Re-Thinking Urban Informality

Global South’s cities are undergoing fast urbanization, resulting in a demand for additional housing that governments are unable to meet. By 2050, approximately an additional three billion people will be living in improvised housing. Despite these projections, many top policymakers are still focused on preventing informal urbanization. It’s important to recognize that in developing-world cities, informal activities dominate every element of social and economic activity. Informality has been highlighted as the key mechanism of urbanization and urban growth throughout Africa and much of emerging Asia. The phenomenon of informality as a kind of urbanism has been limited to developing countries’ urbanization processes. As a conclusion, this thesis investigates the role of the informal city in future urbanization, as well as what is required to ensure that these settlements are resilient and sustainable in the long run. The study will be based on an overall strategy that takes into account time and rapid population expansion, as well as a narrative about how this plan is implemented in the chosen neighborhood.. It highlights the challenges that are present in Kya Sands’ unplanned informal settlements in Johannesburg. Since the discovery of gold, the expansion of informal township communities in Johannesburg has been poorly governed and affected by politics. The discovery of diamonds and gold resulted in significant changes in the economy and society of towns and rural areas, as well as in the urbanization process. The concept will be based on extensive research into the location, as well as informal settlements in general, social architecture, and urban acupuncture.