Abstract
Research and policy argue for more compact cities to respond to sustainable development challenges. However, what actually needs to be made more compact and how, is under examined, particularly in global South cities where north notions of urban qualities are adopted without being questioned. Informed by a qualitative study in informal and compact neighborhoods in Havana, this paper explores which qualities are important to deliver more just cities, and what strategies are developed by residents to strengthen beneficial qualities and address detrimental qualities in contexts of informal urbanization and compactness. It shows how the street, human capital, neighborhood, housing affordability, citizenship and vibrancy are significant compact city qualities neglected in the literature. Finally, the paper shows how diverse strategies are developed by residents to draw upon these qualities, such as self-help urbanism, learning and innovation, economic entrepreneurship, networks of solidarity, economies of reciprocity, local imaginaries and active citizenship.
Highlights
Both researchers (e.g., Breheny, 1996; Brugmann, 2009; Churchman, 1999; Glaeser, 2011; Rueda, 2014; Westerink et al 2013) and policy makers (e.g., European Commission, 2011; OECD, 2012; UN-Habitat, 2012; UNEP 2013; EEA-FOEN 2016; United Nations, 2017) argue for compact cities as a response to social, ecological and economic challenges mostly experienced in cities with high densities, diversity and mixed use
There is little clarity and/or agreement on what aspects of a city need to be made more compact to achieve the purported benefits (Boyko & Cooper, 2011; Neuman, 2005). This is especially the case for informal settlements in the Global South, where generic, North notions of urban qualities driven by international development agencies are seen as standardized recipes to prompt development and fight poverty (e.g. UN-Habitat, 2012, UNEP, 2013)
This paper aims to fill this gap and contributes to examine compact city qualities in the context of informal urbanization processes informed by the case of Havana, Cuba, and expand our understanding of these processes in the Latin American region and in the setting of a socialist society and economy
Summary
Both researchers (e.g., Breheny, 1996; Brugmann, 2009; Churchman, 1999; Glaeser, 2011; Rueda, 2014; Westerink et al 2013) and policy makers (e.g., European Commission, 2011; OECD, 2012; UN-Habitat, 2012; UNEP 2013; EEA-FOEN 2016; United Nations, 2017) argue for compact cities as a response to social, ecological and economic challenges mostly experienced in cities with high densities, diversity and mixed use. There is little clarity and/or agreement on what aspects of a city need to be made more compact to achieve the purported benefits (Boyko & Cooper, 2011; Neuman, 2005) This is especially the case for informal settlements in the Global South, where generic, North notions of urban qualities driven by international development agencies are seen as standardized recipes to prompt development and fight poverty (e.g. UN-Habitat, 2012, UNEP, 2013). The literature on informal urbanization and social innovation reminds us that compact informal settlements, beyond their physical qualities, are characterized by informal economic services, learning and entrepreneurial processes (Gibson-Graham and Roelvink, 2009)
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