Diverse Informalities Spatial Transformations in Nairobi

The phenomenon of Informal Urbanisation has become §the single most pervasive element of city making in §developing countries. The city of Nairobi presents §such an urban paradigm. It has however been shown §that this urban process is heterogeneous and not §homogeneous as propagated by many §scholars/researchers.§This book raises questions about the role of §informality on the urban process of the city of §Nairobi. From its establishment, Nairobi's §urbanisation has always been characterised by §dualism; formal and informal. I argue that informal §urbanisation is defined by spatial strategies rather §than legal/economic distinctions.§The book examines the dynamics of the urbanisation §process through case studies, in the four categories §of informalities; survival, primary, intermediate §and affluent. Diverse Informalities have shown that §the informal phenomenon is not entirely negative, as §it provides some form of urban livelihood for the §poor.§This book will be a resource to; Academics in §urbanism, Architects and Planners. It will also be §useful to urban managers/administrators, policy §makers and development agencies among others.