Rethinking the Informal City

Critical Perspectives from Latin America

By: Peter Kellett (Editor), Lea Knudsen Allen (Editor), Felipe Hernández (Editor)

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eBook | 15 December 2009 | Edition Number 1

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Latin American cities have always been characterized by a strong tension between what is vaguely described as their formal and informal dimensions. However, the terms formal and informal refer not only to the physical aspect of cities but also to their entire socio-political fabric. Informal cities and settlements exceed the structures of order, control and homogeneity that one expects to find in a formal city; therefore the contributors to this volume - from such disciplines as architecture, urban planning, anthropology, urban design, cultural and urban studies and sociology - focus on alternative methods of analysis in order to study the phenomenon of urban informality. This book provides a thorough review of the work that is currently being carried out by scholars, practitioners and governmental institutions, in and outside Latin America, on the question of informal cities.

Industry Reviews

"This anthology represents a huge effort due to the diversity of realities that exist within Latin America. Cities have different dynamics according to their characteristics such as population, economic resources and territory...Therefore, the effort made by the editors to collect a group of professionals and researchers interested in Latin American cities is remarkable and mark this book as an important contribution to the knowledge of informal urban spaces in Latin American cities." · Urban Studies Journal

"...a worthwhile and timely contribution to the field of Latin American urban studies, which will help to fill the current gap in literature on the Latin American city...this book's major contribution is in its exploration of the social, spatial, cultural and aesthetic processes which constitute the informal city, which is (re)presented as fluid, dynamic, and most importantly, as part of the city. This aspect should ensure its interest to scholars of space and culture; as in rethinking the informal city, we are forced to re-evaluate our understandings of the city itself." · Space and Culture