Toward an Architecture of Civil Disobedience in the Upgrading of Informal Settlements

Abstract

Despite the rapid emergence of informal urbanism in the twenty-first century, the response from the architectural profession remains lethargic and ambiguous. This chapter reflects on the rapid growth of informal settlements in South Africa and the architectural profession’s continued disengagement from this issue. With architecture being a legally bound profession, the question arises of how architecture positions itself within the politics of informal urbanism. The state’s position on informal settlements is purposefully set out in an array of spatial policies aimed at addressing their upgrade and urban integration. An informal settlement situated amid the affluent eastern suburbs of Pretoria, South Africa, is presented as an example of how these policies have been misinterpreted over a span of more than a decade, with little to no evidence of architectural engagement. The study reveals that architects have missed critical opportunities to be spatial agents in the transformative constitutionalism concerning the upgrading of informal settlements and their socio-economic integration. Through this exploration and interpretation of the politics surrounding informal urbanism and architecture, it is evident that the profession is paradoxically confined within its legal boundaries. Due to these legal limitations, it is argued that the profession may need to engage in acts of civil disobedience in order to serve as activists for spatial justice within the context of informal urbanism.KeywordsInformal urbanismArchitectural professionSpatial politicsLegal boundariesCivil disobedienceSpatial activism