Part 1 : Informal settlements : an upgrade

Abstract

Globally, the upgrade of informal settlements is no longer considered a marginal issue. Contributions to the discourse in terms of policy reviews and strategies emanate from various sectors concerned with the socioeconomic, spatial and political consequences of such upgrade. is feature investigates the nuances in this discourse and how work undertaken by architectural professionals in South Africa has served to support particular perspectives on informal-settlement upgrade. e argument is forwarded that the architectural profession could make a positive contribution to the issue by undertaking a critical stance on the role informal settlements play in emergent urban processes, thereby engaging at a meaningful level of transformation.