Strategies for a ‘Sustainable Informality’. Embracing Informal Settlements for a more Sustainable Development in the City of Medellin, Colombia.

Abstract

In a world where urbanization is progressing, sustainable development reflects on how to accomplish a balanced global progress. In Latin American cities, the population is growing exponentially, and urbanization increases rapidly. These and otherfactors drive the most vulnerable population to dwell in informal settlements. The city of Medellin in Colombia is no exception to this. Even with an extremely violent past, the city has accomplished a notable development under the notions of Social Urbanism. However, informal settlements continue to unfold, and their dwellers live under precarious conditions. The city must accept that informal settlements will become the most usual method of urbanizing. Therefore, the city must improve physical, environmental, socioeconomic, and urban dimensions within the informal settlements and foresee the inevitable future expansion. Furthermore, the perception and connotation of informality need to change; the concept of informality needs to shift. Only then can the informal settlements completely integrate into the formal city. 'Sustainable Informality' intends to become a hybrid between sustainable development and informality, providing the term of informality a new positive meaning. The state should embrace and set strategies to fulfill sustainable informality.