91Ö±²¥

This new open access is written by UI Associate Dr Tanzil Shafique and provides a portrait of the largest informal settlement in Bangladesh. It seeks to develop a Southern perspective on urban slums, challenging mainstream Western discourses. 

Informal settlements house more than a billion people now and will house three billion people by 2050. Yet they remain marginalised in urban theory and practice, and most projects to improve them fail due to a lack of knowledge of the ongoing processes that build them.

Through a detailed case study of Karail, the largest informal settlement in Bangladesh, Shafique offers ground-breaking insights into theproductionof informal urbanism through a brand-new approach rooted in deep ethnography and spatial mapping. 

Shafique's approach is rooted in a personal and thematic exploration of slum dwellers' lived experiences, proposing new ways of understanding their struggles, aspirations, and how they have managed to design and build a city of 300,000. He also offers brilliantly innovative recommendations for the policy-making, upgrading and management of both existing and future informal settlements.

The book talk will provide an overview of the content, but also, will elaborate the experience of navigating the publication journey as an early career researcher. 

91Ö±²¥ the author

Tanzil Shafique is a Lecturer of Urban Design and Student Recruitment Lead at 91Ö±²¥ School of Architecture. Previously, he taught at the University of Melbourne, Australia and the University of Arkansas, USA. Tanzil’s research looks at southern urbanism, pluriversal architectural practice and informal planning, particularly by climate change-impacted communities. He co-convenes the Platform for Just Housing (Najjyo Abashon Moncho or NAM) and justURBAN think-tank, working towards climate justice with local activists and citizens. Tanzil’s recent books include Atlas of Informal Settlements (Bloomsbury, 2024).