Action/reaction: Neighbourhood improvement and informal morphogenesis between urban interventions and informal settlements in Ibero-America

Muñoz C.A.M.; Ramos F.J.M.; Pérez J.J. · Frontiers of Architectural Research (2026) · DOI: 10.1016/j.foar.2026.03.012

Resumen

Contemporary urban regeneration initiatives in Latin America's informal context have focused on neighbourhood improvement and on policies that promote a partial “healing” of degraded neighbourhoods. However, the literature indicates that these policies have weaknesses in land management and transformation processes, leading to morphological transformation phenomena that contribute to neighbourhood degradation. This process of progressive degradation manifests as segregation and isolation as informal structures evolve. This research aims to critically review the predominant tactics used in neighbourhood improvement from the theoretical perspective of urban assemblage. The purpose of this study is to examine the formal and informal practices that have influenced urban assemblage or fragmentation during the evolution of these settlements, using a longitudinal case study and morphological processes as the analytical lens. As a result, the dynamics of intervention production and their potential to improve articulation between cities and the peripheries are discussed.

Instituciones: Universidad Peruana de Ciencias Aplicadas