Publication
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Formalizing the Informal: Challenges and Opportunities of Informal
Settlements in South-East Europe
Foreword
When hearing about informal settlements, pictures of the corrugated
metal and cardboard houses of African slums or the favelas of Rio de
Janeiro may come to mind. People are less aware of the fact that some of
the 863 million people in informal settlements spread across the globe
are located in the region of the United Nations Economic Commission for
Europe. The importance of tackling this issue is undeniable and is
underlined in the proposed United Nations Sustainable Development Goal
11, which stresses that cities and human settlements should be
inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable.
Informal urban development is not a new issue for Europe. The southern
part of the continent has long dealt with this problem. However, over
the last 25 years, informal settlements have become an increasingly
important and urgent matter in the region. At an international
conference in 2007, it was estimated that more than 50 million people
lived in informal settlements in 20 member States of the UNECE.
In 2009, the ECE Committee on Housing and Land Management published a
first study on informal settlements: Self-Made Cities: In Search of
Sustainable Solutions for Informal Settlements. The present report
continues the discussion opened by the previous study. This report,
Formalizing the Informal: Challenges and Opportunities of Informal
Settlements in South-East Europe examines the causes of informal housing
development in five countries of South-Eastern Europe – Albania, the
Republic of Cyprus, Greece, Montenegro and the former Yugoslav Republic
of Macedonia, and assesses the governments’ policies to address this
challenge. Based on this assessment, the study makes policy
recommendations to these five countries’ governments. It also contains
lessons learned and best practices that can be applied throughout the
UNECE region.
This report is an excellent example of cooperation between the UNECE and
the International Federation of Surveyors (FIG). Such cooperation and
exchange of knowledge is an effective way of contributing to the
formulation, implementation and monitoring of land policy and the
promotion of sustainable land management.
Download the report (348KB)
