Informal settlements in a COVID-19 world: moving beyond upgrading and envisioning revitalisation

• Type of Material: Article
• Authors: Matthew French, Monash University; Diego Ramirez-Lovering, Monash University; Sheela Sinharoy, Emory University; Amelia Turagabeci, Fiji National University; Ihsan Latif, Universitas Hasanuddin; Karin Leder, Monash University; Rebekah Brown, Monash University
• Language: English
• Date: 2020-09-01
• Publisher: Taylor & Francis Group
• Publication Version: Final Published Version
• Copyright Statement: © 2020 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.
• License: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
• Final Published Version (URL): http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/23748834.2020.1812331
• Title of Journal or Parent Work: Cities Health
• Volume: 2020
• Start Page: 1
• End Page: 4
• Grant/Funding Information: This work was supported by the Wellcome Trust (GB) [OPOH grant 205222/Z/16/Z].
• Keywords: planetary health; transdisciplinarity; informal settlements; slums; Urban
• Research Categories: Health Sciences, Epidemiology; Health Sciences, Public Health; Sociology, Public and Social Welfare; Urban and Regional Planning

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic represents a turning point in the way things are done, globally and across sectors. We reflect on approaches to informal settlements and argue for a turn from ‘upgrading’ to ‘revitalisation’. We conceptualise revitalisation as encompassing three core tenets: planetary health, transdisciplinarity, and a people-centred approach. In our vision, revitalisation approaches would take a big-picture view of informal settlements that recognises the inter-connectedness of people and nature within complex urban systems; integrates perspectives from various academic disciplines, non-academic sectors, and communities for knowledge generation; and centres informal settlement residents and communities as experts and partners in urban praxis.