Self-generated Neighbourhoods: the role of urban form in the consolidation of informal settlements

Rapid urbanisation in Santiago de Chile has led to a large number of informal settlements on the periphery of the city which from an initial common origin, now exhibit very different degrees of social and physical consolidation. Of particular interest to planners and architects is whether locational or spatial factors play a role in determining the long term development of a settlement. This paper presents the findings of a joint research project between University College London and Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile on peripheral settlements formalised through a Neighbourhood Upgrading Programme in Santiago. A sample of 17 settlements was examined through a set of objective instruments for measuring housing, neighbourhood and community consolidation; detailed surveys of pedestrian and vehicular patterns of movement and land use patterns; and computer configurational models of the urban form. Key findings are that spatial and locational factors, especially the layout of the settlement and its relation to its urban context, have played a major role in the pathway of development of the settlements and the different degrees to which they have become consolidated. The critical spatial factor is the degree to which the settlement is able to develop ‘edge oriented commercial activity’ through its outward facing edges, and through this to participate in wider local economy. The prime determinant of the development of this type of economic activity is the extent to which the streets on the settlement, especially the edges, are strategically integrated within the surrounding area and therefore carry significant levels of vehicular movement. Where this edge-oriented economic activity is strong there are further benefits to housing consolidation, community development and crime levels.