The image of informal settlements: A visibility mapping in the Global South

In the Global South, the visibility and image of informal settlements in urban design, planning, and policy discourse have gained increasing attention in recent years, particularly in relation to the politics of upgrading. Informal settlements are often characterised by small grain size and self-built constructions. While these settlements house millions of inhabitants, they are hardly recognised in long-term urban development. This paper explores the visibility of informal settlements through extensive urban mapping across multiple case studies in the Global South. The analytical framework deployed in this study focuses on how, and to what extent, informal settlements are visible or invisible in relation to new town developments. This framework is then applied to mapping, revealing the dynamics of visibility across the selected case studies in Kunming (China), Abuja (Nigeria), and Jakarta (Indonesia). The study indicates that each case study involves certain patterns of visibility. In particular, different types of visibility are observed in the case study of Kunming. The settlement in Abuja appears largely exposed to clear view from public spaces, while in Jakarta the predominant type of visibility involves blocked and obstructed views. The findings of this article contribute to the growing body of knowledge on the visibility of informal urbanism under the influence of rapid urbanisation.