Abstract
This paper explores the production of space in the villages-in-the-city (ViCs) through a morphological perspective. During the urbanization process, rural villages originally located in the peri-area of a metropolis are eventually merged into the urban landscape. Due to lack of proper planning, these villages have faced serious criticism due to informality, self-organized development and sub-standard living conditions, and planning policies tend to focus on demolition rather than on incrementally upgrading ViCs on the same site. In this paper, we focus on the fluidity of spaces in ViCs by drawing on a case study in Hanoi, Vietnam. The key research methods are mapping, observation and visual recording. The findings illustrate how informal urbanism works in ViCs regarding spatial structure, public/private interfaces and incremental upgrading. On a theoretical level, this research helps to enrich the description of the morphological characteristics of ViCs with relation to the effects of rapid urbanization. On a practical level, this study contributes to the ways in which researchers and planners can engage with incremental changes in the integrated village.
Highlights
The integration of rural settlements into the metropolis is not a new phenomenon; due to rapid city expansion, various challenges, such as disorganized spatiality and haphazard environments, are found when examining villages-in-the-city (ViCs) in the Global South [1,2]
Vietnam, this paper explores the morphological structure of ViCs
Urban morphology is the study of urban form and engages with the evolution process of human settlements [12]
Summary
The integration of rural settlements into the metropolis is not a new phenomenon; due to rapid city expansion, various challenges, such as disorganized spatiality and haphazard environments, are found when examining villages-in-the-city (ViCs) in the Global South [1,2]. The rural village settlements which have undeveloped infrastructure and facilities immediately become part of the metropolis, and are surrounded by urbanized areas [1,2,3,4]. The aim of this study is not to share optimistic views about ViCs, but rather to explore how the morphological structures of villages work within an urban environment. Planning policies can strengthen the inter-relationship between ViCs and other urban areas and provide a sufficient and safe infrastructure. Such upgrading strategies rely on an understanding of existing morphology, incremental changes and adaptation [11]. The final section offers discussion, conclusions and relevant further enquiries
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