The understanding of urban morphology as a means of exploring the materiality of urban areas has been an emerging practice amongst academics, but the reach of the methods in urban-design research has been limited. This research presents the integration of GIS application and fieldwork analysis as the main methods to support the interpretation of urban morphology as methodical, exploratory, and multidimensional. The Kolmogorov–Smirnov test, commonly known as the KS test, is also conducted to illustrate a contrast among the settlements. The study focuses on various dimensions of informal settlements by drawing on three case studies of informal settlements in Lahore, Pakistan. The results show heterogeneity in the urban form in terms of land-use diversity, building density, connectivity, open-space ratio, and infrastructural quality within the case-study areas. The analysis displays the context sensitivity and diversity within these settlements that provide a better understanding of how informal settlement works in relation to urban morphology. This research has the characteristics to contribute to other urban-form studies through the coherent application of the procedures to various sites. The output of mixed-use techniques exercised in this study lends itself to integration with other systematic processes related to urban areas’ design, research, and planning.

Informal settlements have become a central part of urban imagery. It is a self-organized form of urbanization that expands beyond the reach of the state and encroaches upon, infiltrates, and inundates cities in the Global South. The forms of urban informality develop and offer a means of habitation for the urban poor, characterized by a lack of basic services, overcrowding, economic vulnerability, and an unhygienic urban environment. In Lahore, a metropolitan area with more than 11 million residents, informal settlement growth is the most perceptible. The current study deploys a case study approach to explore informal settlements in order to fully understand the intricate socioeconomic and physical issues that arise in these settlements. Fieldwork, which involved in-depth interviews, casual conversations, and photography surveys, was used to conduct this research. The data was collected using a proportionate and random sampling technique, with 80 samples from Shamspura Colony and 67 from Zia Colony obtained using Solvin’s formula. Geographic Information Systems (GIS) were used to ensure that the data was geographically dispersed throughout the settlement.. The outcomes showed diversity in the two selected case study areas, namely Zia Colony and Shamspura Colony, in terms of the built environment, social aspects, governance issues, and economic opportunities. This research offers a more multifaceted synthesis of the problem by bringing together the social and physical constructs which may lead to a greater understanding of informal settlements issues and better strategies for addressing them at the local, national, and regional levels.

Desde 1950, más de trescientos pueblos se han quedado sin habitantes en los Pirineos centrales españoles. Se han llevado a cabo diferentes ensayos en estos asentamientos en las últimas décadas: desde la renaturalización, agricultura local, comunidades neorrurales, turismo... hasta recuperación local. La emergente recuperación de asentamientos despoblados por antiguos habitantes ilustra un fenómeno interesante en territorios rurales bajo la amenaza de encogimiento y de presión turística. Nuestro análisis espacial del actual proceso de recuperación en el estudio de caso de Jánovas identifica estrategias efectivas de la comunidad local. La emergente comunidad se reúne en torno al objetivo común de volver a habitar su pueblo, reconectándolo con su territorio, poniendo al día el asentamiento mediante los espacios y servicios colectivos necesarios, y adaptando de forma sensible los espacios patrimoniales para acoger de forma sustentable a los recién llegados a la comunidad local. Al mismo tiempo, esto demuestra el carácter resiliente de algunos pueblos abandonados.

Ces dernières années, nombre de villes ont commencé à expérimenter l’usage temporaire d’« espaces en attente » comme moyen d’améliorer la ville. Diverses initiatives ponctuelles ont vu le jour. Certaines organisations de la société civile y voient une occasion de faire face à la nécessité urgente de disposer de logements à prix modéré plus nombreux et de meilleure qualité. Mais comment cela se passe-t-il en pratique ? Le présent article décrit et évalue le processus de recherche de lieux mis au point pour le projet pilote Solidary Mobile Housing ; celui-ci s’inscrit dans le cadre d’un projet de recherche-action participative en cours visant à cocréer avec les sans-abri des logements temporaires qui leur soient destinés dans les espaces urbains en attente. À partir de cette expérience et d’échanges de connaissances avec des spécialistes de premier plan et des acteurs de terrain, il s’agit d’examiner les possibilités et les limites de l’utilisation d’espaces inoccupés ou sous-exploités pour apporter une réponse immédiate (bien que partielle et à court terme) à la crise actuelle en matière de logements abordables en assurant la mise à disposition de logements temporaires, pour les personnes vulnérables et avec leur concours, dans la Région de Bruxelles-Capitale.