Integrated Approach to Explore Multidimensional Urban Morphology of Informal Settlements: The Case Studies of Lahore, Pakistan

Abstract

The understanding of urban morphology as a means of exploring the materiality of urban areas has been an emerging practice amongst academics, but the reach of the methods in urban-design research has been limited. This research presents the integration of GIS application and fieldwork analysis as the main methods to support the interpretation of urban morphology as methodical, exploratory, and multidimensional. The Kolmogorov–Smirnov test, commonly known as the KS test, is also conducted to illustrate a contrast among the settlements. The study focuses on various dimensions of informal settlements by drawing on three case studies of informal settlements in Lahore, Pakistan. The results show heterogeneity in the urban form in terms of land-use diversity, building density, connectivity, open-space ratio, and infrastructural quality within the case-study areas. The analysis displays the context sensitivity and diversity within these settlements that provide a better understanding of how informal settlement works in relation to urban morphology. This research has the characteristics to contribute to other urban-form studies through the coherent application of the procedures to various sites. The output of mixed-use techniques exercised in this study lends itself to integration with other systematic processes related to urban areas’ design, research, and planning.

Squatting behavior during the COVID-19 pandemic: The case of the informal settlement “Los Hornos” in Buenos Aires

“…The World Bank/UNCHS (2000) recognizes that “Slums range from high density, squalid central city tenements to spontaneous squatter settlements without legal recognition or rights, sprawling at the edge of cities.” Slums are characterized by wide-ranging terms in the literature that define them as informal settlements, squatter settlements, shanty towns, and self-help settlements ( Rodwin, 2022 ; Ulack, 1978 ; Ward, 2015 ). It also has endemic names in different countries, such as villas miseries in Argentina, favelas in Brazil, jhuggis in India, and kampung in Indonesia, among others ( Arif et al, 2022 ). Owing to the comprehensiveness of the definition of the “Slum,” the proper definition in the developing world is controversial ( Gilbert, 2007 ).…”

Empirical Evidence on Analysing the Quality of Life of Informal Settlement for Regeneration Project: Case Study of Boa Wala Settlement, Lahore

“…In the one billion inhabitants of world's slum population, a predominant proportion of 881 million population lives in informal settlements of developing world, which was escalated from 689 and 791 million residents in 1990 and 2000, respectively (United Nations Habitat, 2015). Important thing to mention here is that about 50% of world's slums dwellers are still residing in the Asia-Pacific region of global south (Arif et al, 2022; UN-Habitat, 2004). Just in Asia, 30% of urban population is living in slums and informal areas (United Nations Habitat, 2015); however, in Africa, this proportion is even worse, where more than half of urban population (61.7%) is residing in slums, which is estimated to escalate from 400 million to 1.2 billion by 2050 (United Nations Habitat, 2015).…”

Examining the Intricacies and Perpetual Issues in Urban Informal Settlements: Lessons from Two Case Studies of Informal Settlements in Lahore, Pakistan

“…There is no explicit definition of informal settlements in Pakistan's regulations or ordinances. However, the term 'informal settlements' has been used by (Arif et al, 2022) to describe a broader category that encompasses both slums and squatter settlements in Pakistan. Without official government approval, such settlements have created their own systems for designing, planning, and constructing buildings and street networks.…”