Informal settlements and the continuity of Gujarati building traditions in Ahmedabad

Abstract

Informal settlement is a widespread form of development in rapidly urbanising countries, yet the architectural form of dwellings and the design intention of the residents has received scant attention across the extensive literature on informality. Architectural scholars have drawn parallels between informal and vernacular environments, but the empirical evidence to support this assertion is limited. Comparing accurate and detailed architectural drawings, this article demonstrates how Gujarati building traditions influence the arrangement of dwellings and their plans in two informal settlements in Ahmedabad. Despite insecurity of land tenure and limited services, dwellings are built incrementally but planned with architectural intent informed by traditional rural housing types. The function and arrangement of traditional room types are consistent across dwellings in different contexts, from world heritage-listed havelis, rural Gujarati villages, to the incremental housing in two informal settlements in Ahmedabad. This evidence is at odds with popular and political views that informal settlements are unplanned accretions of ad hoc shelters. Such views, embedded in policy, can be part of the rationale for ‘slum’ clearance and relocation, which frequently disrupts social and economic networks. The findings and methods used in this study can inform architects or planners seeking to upgrade, redevelop, or relocate informal settlement communities.