Re-conceptualising the relationship between informalities, livelihoods and governance towards urban resilience

Across Global North and South, informal urban processes are essential in people’s struggles for livelihood security. Conceptions of informality as inherently problematic and a uniquely Global South phenomenon are not accurate (McFarlane, 2019; Thieme, 2018). In the wake of rapid urbanisation and mass migration, contemporary cities are an increasingly diverse and complex patchwork of socio-cultural and economic narratives. Outdated top-down Western-centric models of governance, which often assume linear patterns of development embedded in neoclassical growth theory, lack the capacity required to engage with this diversity and complexity (Obeng-Odoom, 2013, p. 13; Skinner & Watson, 2017). Learning from the lived experience and knowledge of the Global South should play a central role in recognising the merits of informality for urban planning and design strategies and, in turn, approaches to urban governance and development (Robinson, 2016a; Roy, 2014).This chapter explores how the relationship between informality, livelihoods, and governance manifests across Global North and South using case studies in South Africa and Australia, respectively. In both settings, we conducted semi-structured in-depth interviews, and observational fieldwork focused on the interrelation between informal processes of livelihood security and formal urban governance. The study’s fieldwork informed a collaborative design-led governance workshop with diverse stakeholders including local government officials, planners, informal traders and street vendors, NGOs, and academics. The study’s findings produced insights and learnings about (i) informal networks and practices; (ii) local capabilities, skills and assets, and; (iii) the participation and agency of emerging community leaders and socio-cultural intermediaries, which can help to reform urban governance, planning and design paradigms.These insights are then synthesised into two related discussion themes. First, we explore avenues to realise the potential for learning and knowledge exchange between Global North and South in building resilience to urban pressures. Second, we discuss the emerging role of intermediaries in the relationship between livelihoods, informalities and governance