A platform for research: civil engineering, architecture and urbanism
A platform for research: civil engineering, architecture and urbanism
“Back on the Map”: Developing a Multi-scalar Informal Settlement Mapping Framework Based on a Case Study in Dhaka
Over 2 billion people will live in informal settlements by 2030, often in slum conditions. UN-Habitat has recommended countries adopt city-wide participatory slum upgrading projects and integrate the informal settlements into the formal plans of the city. While there might be honest intentions by the formal governance bodies to do so, often the settlements are invisible from the gaze of the state. In other words, often they are quite literally “off the map.” More problematically, even when mapped, the maps are reduced to a single aspect, based on the agenda of the mapping body such as an NGO and often become useless for any slum upgrading purpose. How could these settlements be put “back on the map,” and more importantly, in a way that matters? In this paper, firstly, I share a “multi-scalar mapping framework” developed for my dissertation research in Karail, the largest informal settlement in Dhaka. Secondly, I briefly describe the methods used to produce the 94 maps. Thirdly, I use an auto-ethnographic narrative to provide a thick description of the process of mapping that I conducted for six months in Karail. The particular methodology can provide pointers to other researchers enabling better practice in informal settlements globally. Lastly, I end the paper by analyzing the maps that were produced based on their potential to be used in a city-wide slum upgrading project. I conclude that such multi-scalar mapping is essential in understanding the socio-economic complexity of informal settlements and engaging as architects and urban designers.
“Back on the Map”: Developing a Multi-scalar Informal Settlement Mapping Framework Based on a Case Study in Dhaka
Over 2 billion people will live in informal settlements by 2030, often in slum conditions. UN-Habitat has recommended countries adopt city-wide participatory slum upgrading projects and integrate the informal settlements into the formal plans of the city. While there might be honest intentions by the formal governance bodies to do so, often the settlements are invisible from the gaze of the state. In other words, often they are quite literally “off the map.” More problematically, even when mapped, the maps are reduced to a single aspect, based on the agenda of the mapping body such as an NGO and often become useless for any slum upgrading purpose. How could these settlements be put “back on the map,” and more importantly, in a way that matters? In this paper, firstly, I share a “multi-scalar mapping framework” developed for my dissertation research in Karail, the largest informal settlement in Dhaka. Secondly, I briefly describe the methods used to produce the 94 maps. Thirdly, I use an auto-ethnographic narrative to provide a thick description of the process of mapping that I conducted for six months in Karail. The particular methodology can provide pointers to other researchers enabling better practice in informal settlements globally. Lastly, I end the paper by analyzing the maps that were produced based on their potential to be used in a city-wide slum upgrading project. I conclude that such multi-scalar mapping is essential in understanding the socio-economic complexity of informal settlements and engaging as architects and urban designers.
“Back on the Map”: Developing a Multi-scalar Informal Settlement Mapping Framework Based on a Case Study in Dhaka
Sustainable Development Goals Series
Mostafa, Magda (editor) / Baumeister, Ruth (editor) / Thomsen, Mette Ramsgaard (editor) / Tamke, Martin (editor) / Shafique, Tanzil (author)
World Congress of Architects ; 2023 ; Copenhagen, Denmark
2023-09-03
11 pages
Article/Chapter (Book)
Electronic Resource
English
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