Informal emerging patterns in the urban morphogenesis of cities: a systematic review
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.14511218Keywords:
urban informality, urban morphogenesis, urban planningAbstract
This systematic review article analyzes the emerging patterns of informality and their influence on urban morphogenesis, with emphasis on the self-organization and co-evolution of informal settlements in the urban configuration. The methodology employed follows the guidelines of the PRISMA method, ensuring an exhaustive and structured review of the relevant literature. Among the main findings, patterns of vertical densification, self-organization of access networks and adaptations to the topographic context stand out, reflecting the capacity of settlements to evolve incrementally and adaptively without formal planning. Nevertheless, adverse effects were identified such as urban fragmentation and spatial segregation, phenomena accentuated in Latin America, where these settlements tend to develop in peripheral areas with limited access to basic services and high exposure to natural hazards. These dynamics pose significant challenges for social cohesion and territorial planning. The conclusions highlight the importance of designing public policies and urban planning strategies that are adaptive and sensitive to the characteristics of informal growth, promoting the integration of these settlements into the formal structure of cities. The results have direct implications for sustainable urban design and territorial management.
Downloads
References
Alegría, V., y Dovey, K. (2022). Morphogenesis of contemporary informal settlement in Chile. Urban Design International. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41289-022-00192-y
Batty, M. (1997). Cellular automata and urban form: A primer. Journal of the American Planning Association, 63(2), 266–274. https://doi.org/10.1080/01944369708975918
Brakarz, J., y Greene, M. (2020). Urbanización y vivienda en América Latina: Desafíos y oportunidades para el desarrollo sostenible. Banco Interamericano de Desarrollo. https://publications.iadb.org/es/urbanizacion-y-vivienda-en-america-latina
Brighenti, A. M., y Kärrholm, M. (2023). Urban crystallization and the morphogenesis of urban territories. Territory, Politics, Governance, 11(3), 502–518. https://doi.org/10.1080/21622671.2021.1872040
Dovey, K., y Recio, R. B. (2023). Harnessing settlement re-informalization: Morphogenesis of on-site upgrading at Sitio Pajo. Habitat International, 131, 102724. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.habitatint.2022.102724
Dovey, K., Kamalipour, H., y Pafka, E. (2020). Towards a morphogenesis of informal settlements. Habitat International, 104, 102240. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.habitatint.2020.102240
Haddaway, N. R., Page, M. J., Pritchard, C. C., y McGuinness, L. A. (2022). PRISMA2020: An R package and Shiny app for producing PRISMA 2020-compliant flow diagrams, with interactivity for optimised digital transparency and Open Synthesis. Campbell Systematic Reviews, 18, e1230. https://doi.org/10.1002/cl2.1230
Harvey, D. (1989). The right to the city. New Left Review, 53(Sept-Oct), 23–40. https://archive.org/details/david-harvey-right-to-the-city-1
Iranmanesh, A., y Kamalipour, H. (2023). A configurational morphogenesis of incremental urbanism: A comparative study of the access network transformations in informal settlements. Cities, 140, 104444. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cities.2023.104444
Jacobs, J. (1961). The death and life of great American cities. Random House. https://archive.org/details/deathlifeofgreat00jaco
Johnson, S. (2001). Emergence: The connected lives of ants, brains, cities, and software. Scribner. https://archive.org/details/emergenceconnect0000john
Kamalipour, H., y Iranmanesh, A. (2021). Morphogenesis of emerging settlements: Mapping incremental urbanism. Land, 10(1), 89. https://doi.org/10.3390/land10010089
Krier, R. (1979). Urban space. Academy Editions. https://pdfcookie.com/documents/urban-space-rob-krier-02563gygpkl1
Martínez Muñoz, C. A., y Maroto Ramos, F. J. (2024). Informal-formal morphogenesis in Latin American settlements: A response to the problem of urban fragmentation. Journal of Urban Management, 13, 497–520. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jum.2024.05.001
Moraes, P. (2022). Relações espaciais como morfogênese do território da Avenida Brasil, no Rio de Janeiro. EURE, 48(143), 1–23. https://doi.org/10.7764/eure.48.143.09
Naciones Unidas. (2023). Informe de los Objetivos de Desarrollo Sostenible 2023: Edición especial. Naciones Unidas. https://unstats.un.org/sdgs/
ONU-Hábitat. (2020). World cities report 2020: The value of sustainable urbanization. United Nations Human Settlements Programme. https://unhabitat.org/wcr/
ONU-Hábitat. (2021). The state of Latin American and Caribbean cities. United Nations Human Settlements Programme. https://sdgs.un.org/publications/state-latin-american-and-caribbean-cities-17574
Raimbault, J. (2017). An applied knowledge framework to study complex systems. arXiv. https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.1706.09244
Tirico, N., Cardoso, L., y Ruiz, M. (2021). Urban morphogenesis and spatial dynamics: A comprehensive review. Journal of Urban Planning and Development, 147(4), 1–12. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)UP.1943-5444.0000678
Thinh, N. K., y Kamalipour, H. (2022). The morphogenesis of villages-in-the-city: Mapping incremental urbanism in Hanoi city. Habitat International, 130, 102706. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.habitatint.2022.102706
Thinh, N. K., Kamalipour, H., y Gao, Y. (2023). Mapping the emerging forms of informality: A comparative morphogenesis of villages-in-the-city in Vietnam. Habitat International, 138, 102864. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.habitatint.2023.102864
Turing, A. M. (1952). The chemical basis of morphogenesis. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological Sciences, 237(641), 37–72. https://doi.org/10.1098/rstb.1952.0012
Vernez Moudon, A. (1997). Urban morphology as an emerging interdisciplinary field. Urban Morphology, 1(1), 3–10. https://doi.org/10.51347/jum.v1i1.4047
World Bank. (2021). Informal settlements and urban development. The World Bank Group. https://www.worldbank.org/en/olc/course/54541
Published
Issue
Section
License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
The journal is licensed under the Attribution License (CC BY), allowing the possibility of copying, distributing, displaying, and producing derivative works, as long as the author is acknowledged and cited.
