Urbanisms of the informal: Spatial transformations in the urban fringe of Mexico City

The phenomenon of informal urbanization has become the single most pervasive element in the production of cities in developing countries. It has transformed our idea of what a city is and has seriously challenged our notions of urban planning. Informality has become the paradigm of city-making in Mexico City for the last 50 years.; I argue in this thesis that informal urbanization is defined by specific spatial strategies and forms rather than by legal or economic distinctions. The research puts forward a critique of the legal definition of informal urbanization and reconceptualizes the notion of informality through a spatial framework.; The thesis introduces the term Urbanisms of the Informal to define the practices and the forms that a group of stakeholders undertake not only to obtain access to land and housing, but also to satisfy their needs to engage in urban life. These practices are characterized by tactical and incremental decisions, by a complex interaction among players, and a distinct set of spatial strategies that produce a progressive urban space and a reconfiguration of its urban hierarchies.; The research describes the dynamics of informal growth and urbanization in Mexico City, by looking at the spatial transformations of three settlements on the urban fringe: Nezahualcoyotl, Valle de Chalco and Ecatepec. The analysis of these three settlements provides a comprehensive picture of the phenomenon of informal urbanization in Mexico City and sheds light on the relationship between the spatial patterns of urbanization and the development and evolution of informal settlements.; The research's findings on urban patterns, degrees of planning, and spatial strategies in each of the settlements, illustrate important transformations in the way that urban space is configured and understood in informal urbanization.; The framework of Urbanisms of the Informal debunks the prevailing myth of informal urbanization as unplanned, and reasserts the relevance of space and physical planning in any discussion on the phenomenon of informality.