Harnessing settlement re-informalization: morphogenesis of on-site upgrading at Sitio Pajo

Abstract

On-site community-based upgrading is now widely accepted as the only sustainable pathway for redevelopment of substandard informal settlements – displacement damages livelihoods of the urban poor and strips the city of its workforce. We also know that redevelopment rarely stops the informal production of housing, rather it initiates a process of ‘re-informalization’ which can lead to over-development. This paper is a socio-spatial critique of such processes in a settlement in Metro Manila known as Sitio Pajo. An upgrading process commenced in 2007 with the involvement of a community organization, NGOs and the state. The project involved demolition of pre-existing buildings, the imposition of a formal street/lane network, and redevelopment with both formal housing and a site-and-services scheme. This critique focuses on public space and urban morphology, particularly the ways the new urban design becomes a reset for a second round of informalization. The result has been a generally successful transformation of public space, streetlife, accessibility and building durability, although there are significant differences between the formal housing and the site-and-services zone. The challenge that remains is one of preventing this re-informalization from producing over-development.