The jugaad urbanism-sustainable circular cities nexus: Insights from sub-Saharan Africa's informal settlements

Abstract

Informal settlements have long been viewed derogatorily as terrains of despair. Some scholars even summarily dismiss them as offering little to no value to the functioning of cities. Underpinned by the Foucauldian idea of ‘milieus,’ this article challenges the apocalyptic depiction of informal communities, emphasizing their profound roles in sustainable and inclusive cities. Recently, the concept of ‘jugaad urbanism’ has been used to typify this paradigm shift. Emanating from the Hindi term jugadu, jugaad urbanism highlights the ingenuity and resourcefulness of marginalized communities to make do and improvise to solve their everyday problems. With a lacuna in the concept's application to Africa, the aims of this article were twofold: (i) To underscore exemplary communal jugaad urbanism practices in sub-Saharan Africa and (ii) To critically discuss how they contribute to building sustainable, circular, and inclusive cities. After a rigorous review of conventional literature (i.e., scholarly and grey literature), 21 case studies of jugaad urbanism were assessed via six themes: i) re-making of public spaces, ii) innovative reuse of plastic waste, iii) resourceful provisioning of water and sanitation infrastructure, iv) empowerment through games, v) resilience to climate-related risks, and vi) communal safety and security measures. The communal jugaad initiatives analyzed contribute to social, economic, and environmental sustainability while advancing the circular economy principles of waste reuse and recycling. The article recommends that city officials and policymakers learn from marginal populations by first taking stock of jugaad practices and then providing sustained technical and financial support.