The Inclusion of the Informal City in the Urban Territory: a Comparison Between Medellín and Mumbai

Abstract

The growth of cities in developing countries has been accompanied by the growth of an informal
city on the margins of the city. This informal city generally lacks of basic urban services and
generates a number of fragmentations of the urban tissue. In this article I review the history of the
informal city in Medellin, Colombia and Mumbai, India: evaluating its formation and evolution. I
reveal how urban policies have influences the typology and location of the informal city and how
this typology has influence the inclusion policies implemented in these two metropolises. The
comparison between the policy of Urban Integral Projects in the city of Medellin and the Slum
Rehabilitacion Scheme (in the city of Mumbai confirms the relevance of defining policies locally
while —at the same time— setting forth elements that are valid globally, especially in the case of
policy design and coherence.