Informality as a Way of Life: Penn IUR Series on Urban Informality

Urban informality—individuals’ negotiation of jobs, shelter, and public services, outside of customary legal institutions—has exploded across the globe, largely in places with high rates of urbanization and poverty. In fact, for a large proportion of the world’s population informality has become a way of life. The proliferation of informal settlements or slums, now housing more than 900 million people (1/6 of the world population and 1/3 of all city dwellers) is one of its physical manifestations. Street vendors or ragpickers searching for funds or recyclables are another visible marker. Informality characterizes everyday transactions in cities around the world, whether it be in residents’ procuring food, transportation, health, education, employment, or other necessities of life.

Below is a collection of papers that interrogate various issues related to informality and implementation. The authors, students who participated in CPLN 581, “Issues in Sustainable Urban Development: Adapting Formality and Informality in Rapidly Urbanizing Places,” in the Department of City and Regional Planning, Weitzman School of Design, prepared them as a contribution to the roundtable “Why Cities? Informality as a Way of Life: Challenges to Sustainable Urban Development,” presented by the Office of the Provost, the Penn Institute for Urban Research, the  Weitzman School of Design, and Perry World House on April 24, 2019.

• Informality as a Way of Life: Introduction to the Penn IUR Series on Urban Informality | Eugénie L. Birch

PART ONE: CHALLENGES

• The Hidden Costs of “In-Situ” Slum Redevelopment in Mumbai | Kirtana Contractor
• Water Scarcity and Supply Challenges in Mexico City’s Informal Settlements | Jennifer Gutierrez
• Challenges in the Informal Waste Sector: Bangalore, India | Shravanthi Kanekal
• Heat Vulnerability and the Built Environment in Ahmedabad, India | Heike Jacob   
• Informal Street Vendors in Johannesburg, South Africa | Jessica Arias
• Is Formalizing Working for Rural Migrants in Addis Ababa? | Yonathan Woldarmarian

PART TWO: SOLUTIONS

• Assessing Inclusivity in Community-Based Organizations in Nairobi, Kenya | Amie Patel
• Shrinking the Digital (and Financial) Divide: A Lesson in Technology Leapfrogging and Financial Inclusion Nairobi, Kenya’s Mobile Banking Industry | Ellyse Murphy
• J-Palm and Beyond: The Path to Informal Sector Formalization in Greater Monrovia and Policy Opportunities for Post-Formalization Growth | Cokie Nanka
• Achieving Education for All: Reaching Informal Settlements | Emily Galfond
• Motorcycle Taxis in Jakarta, Indonesia: The Case for Recognition and Integration of Motorcycle Taxis into Jabodetabek’s Transportation System | Benjamin Palevsky
• Women’s Collective Organizations: An Opportunity for Upward Mobility—A Case Study of the Mezitli Women Producers Market in Turkey | Danielle Lake

PART THREE: CHINA’S VILLAGES IN THE CITY

• Chinese Villages in the City Demolition or Renovation: Which is Better To Preserve Urban Form in Shenzhen China? | Yuchen Wang
• The Redevelopment Model of Xidian Village, Beijing | Zhongyuan Zeng