The morphogenesis of villages-in-the-city: Mapping incremental urbanism in Hanoi city

Abstract

Cities in the context of what is considered as the Global South are experiencing rapid urbanisation through which various villages have been incorporated into the city and became Villages-in-the-City (ViCs). While ViCs are here to stay, little is known about their morphogenesis as they have generally been considered as part of the negative image of the city and the related planning policies often tend to merely focus on eradication. Deploying urban mapping as a key method and using the Google Earth database, this study explores the morphogenesis of ViCs and maps the incremental transformations of building footprints and access networks across three case studies in Hanoi city, Vietnam. The findings of this paper can inform the ways in which the built environment professions can engage with the upgrading and integration of ViCs. The outcome of this study also challenges the conventional narratives and constructed images that simply consider ViCs as haphazard and disordered settlements.