Informal settlements in a COVID-19 world: moving beyond upgrading and envisioning revitalisation

Matthew French; Diego Ramirez-Lovering; Sheela S. Sinharoy; Amelia Turagabeci; Ihsan Latif; Karin Leder; Rebekah Brown

doi:10.1080/23748834.2020.1812331

Informal settlements in a COVID-19 world: moving beyond upgrading and envisioning revitalisation

Matthew French, Diego Ramirez-Lovering, Sheela S. Sinharoy, Amelia Turagabeci, Ihsan Latif, Karin Leder, Rebekah Brown

Research output: Contribution to journal › Comment / Debate › Other › peer-review

15 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic represents a turning point in the way things are done, globally and across sectors. We reflect on approaches to informal settlements and argue for a turn from ‘upgrading’ to ‘revitalisation’. We conceptualise revitalisation as encompassing three core tenets: planetary health, transdisciplinarity, and a people-centred approach. In our vision, revitalisation approaches would take a big-picture view of informal settlements that recognises the inter-connectedness of people and nature within complex urban systems; integrates perspectives from various academic disciplines, non-academic sectors, and communities for knowledge generation; and centres informal settlement residents and communities as experts and partners in urban praxis.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	S52-S55
Number of pages	4
Journal	Cities & Health
Volume	5
Issue number	Sup1
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1080/23748834.2020.1812331
Publication status	Published - 2021

Keywords

informal settlements
planetary health
slums
transdisciplinarity
Urban

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

Access to Document

10.1080/23748834.2020.1812331Licence: CC BY

391769883-oaFinal published version, 1 MBLicence: CC BY

Cite this

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title = "Informal settlements in a COVID-19 world: moving beyond upgrading and envisioning revitalisation",

abstract = "The COVID-19 pandemic represents a turning point in the way things are done, globally and across sectors. We reflect on approaches to informal settlements and argue for a turn from {\textquoteleft}upgrading{\textquoteright} to {\textquoteleft}revitalisation{\textquoteright}. We conceptualise revitalisation as encompassing three core tenets: planetary health, transdisciplinarity, and a people-centred approach. In our vision, revitalisation approaches would take a big-picture view of informal settlements that recognises the inter-connectedness of people and nature within complex urban systems; integrates perspectives from various academic disciplines, non-academic sectors, and communities for knowledge generation; and centres informal settlement residents and communities as experts and partners in urban praxis.",

keywords = "informal settlements, planetary health, slums, transdisciplinarity, Urban",

author = "Matthew French and Diego Ramirez-Lovering and Sinharoy, {Sheela S.} and Amelia Turagabeci and Ihsan Latif and Karin Leder and Rebekah Brown",

note = "Funding Information: This work was supported by the Wellcome Trust (GB) [OPOH grant 205222/Z/16/Z]. We acknowledge the input of RISE consortium colleagues (funded by the Wellcome Trust, [ref: 205222/B/16/Z]) and invaluable insights from those living in urban informal settlements with whom we have worked over the years. We thank the three anonymous peer reviewers for their constructive feedback and suggestions. Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2020 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.",

year = "2021",

doi = "10.1080/23748834.2020.1812331",

language = "English",

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T2 - moving beyond upgrading and envisioning revitalisation

AU - French, Matthew

AU - Ramirez-Lovering, Diego

AU - Sinharoy, Sheela S.

AU - Turagabeci, Amelia

AU - Latif, Ihsan

AU - Leder, Karin

AU - Brown, Rebekah

N1 - Funding Information: This work was supported by the Wellcome Trust (GB) [OPOH grant 205222/Z/16/Z]. We acknowledge the input of RISE consortium colleagues (funded by the Wellcome Trust, [ref: 205222/B/16/Z]) and invaluable insights from those living in urban informal settlements with whom we have worked over the years. We thank the three anonymous peer reviewers for their constructive feedback and suggestions. Publisher Copyright: © 2020 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.

PY - 2021

Y1 - 2021

N2 - The COVID-19 pandemic represents a turning point in the way things are done, globally and across sectors. We reflect on approaches to informal settlements and argue for a turn from ‘upgrading’ to ‘revitalisation’. We conceptualise revitalisation as encompassing three core tenets: planetary health, transdisciplinarity, and a people-centred approach. In our vision, revitalisation approaches would take a big-picture view of informal settlements that recognises the inter-connectedness of people and nature within complex urban systems; integrates perspectives from various academic disciplines, non-academic sectors, and communities for knowledge generation; and centres informal settlement residents and communities as experts and partners in urban praxis.

AB - The COVID-19 pandemic represents a turning point in the way things are done, globally and across sectors. We reflect on approaches to informal settlements and argue for a turn from ‘upgrading’ to ‘revitalisation’. We conceptualise revitalisation as encompassing three core tenets: planetary health, transdisciplinarity, and a people-centred approach. In our vision, revitalisation approaches would take a big-picture view of informal settlements that recognises the inter-connectedness of people and nature within complex urban systems; integrates perspectives from various academic disciplines, non-academic sectors, and communities for knowledge generation; and centres informal settlement residents and communities as experts and partners in urban praxis.

KW - informal settlements

KW - planetary health

KW - slums

KW - transdisciplinarity

KW - Urban

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DO - 10.1080/23748834.2020.1812331

M3 - Comment / Debate

AN - SCOPUS:85131585633

SN - 2374-8834

VL - 5

SP - S52-S55

JO - Cities & Health

JF - Cities & Health

IS - Sup1

ER -

Informal settlements in a COVID-19 world: moving beyond upgrading and envisioning revitalisation

Abstract

Keywords

UN SDGs

Access to Document

Other files and links

Health and economic benefits of environmentally sensitive watercycle management in informal urban settlements

Cite this

Informal settlements in a COVID-19 world: moving beyond upgrading and envisioning revitalisation

Abstract

Keywords

UN SDGs

Access to Document

Other files and links

Projects

Health and economic benefits of environmentally sensitive watercycle management in informal urban settlements

Cite this