Informal settlements and slums are the most pervasive modes of urbanization on the planet, housing up to 2 billion people and absorbing most rural-to-urban migration worldwide. This presents architects, urban planners, and everyone working to improve the lives of the world's urban poor, with a uniquely complex and urgent challenge.

Featuring 51 contemporary case studies of informal settlements from over 30 cities across the Global South, the Atlas of Informal Settlement is the first book to map the processes by which informal settlements and slums grow and develop. Each case study uses maps and aerial photographs to examine the key stages of development, while accompanying texts outline the impact of environmental, social, economic and political factors – ultimately revealing the hidden rules and logics embodied in informal settlements worldwide.

As the focus of sustainable urban development shifts towards the upgrade of slums through community collaboration, it has become vital to understand how such places develop. The Atlas of Informal Settlement provides key insights, enabling designers and planners to better harness the positive capacities of informal production. The book is also interspersed with short chapters introducing key theoretical concepts – the issues and complexities at stake when thinking about informal settlements – making this book essential reading for all students, academics, and professionals working in informal settlement contexts, from architects and urban designers to NGOs, policy-makers, and community activists.