18th Swiss Geoscience Meeting

In November, 2020 several members of MIT SIS presented their research on Freetown, Sierra Leone at the 18th Swiss Geoscience Meeting. We presented in Track 23, Human Geographies: Cities, Regions, Economies. Our presentation, titled “COVID-19 Response in Self-Built Urban Communities: Lessons from the Global South” was about how although slums and informal settlements were initially conceived as a temporary state of exception, they are now staple communities that are constantly making and remaking their slice of the city. Our presentation explored what shaped the response to COVID-19 in slums and informal settlements and highlighted the importance of community knowledge and mobilization in Freetown’s response.

COVID-19 Response in Self-Build Urban Communities: Lessons from the Global South

Amelia Seabold*, Daniela Cocco-Beltrame* & Andrea Grimaldi* 

*Department of Urban Studies and Planning, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02139 USA 

The origins of informal settlements across the globe can be traced to patterns of exclusion that force households into inadequate dwellings, usually on account of socio-economic needs. Initially conceived as a temporary state of exception, low-income informal dwelling, or slum dwelling, has become a permanent feature in the urban scene. Research shows that these patterns of exclusion become exacerbated in times of emergency or crisis, with profound socio-spatial impacts that (re)shape our city. Too frequently, international recommendations to face such challenges are disconnected with realities on the ground, and Government agencies, already struggling to provide basic services, face an added strain to generate responses in an adequate and timely manner. Their failure to do so, in turn, exacerbates existing urban inequality. The impact of COVID-19 on informal settlements provides a clear example. Lack of basic sanitation services, high-density living quarters, and economic insecurity make informal settlements especially vulnerable to COVID-19, turning some into hotspots. International guidelines for mitigating the spread of the virus include several actions, such as frequent handwashing and physical distancing, that are often not possible in these contexts. Through a trans-disciplinary approach, our work focuses on the politics and governance of the COVID-19 pandemic in informal settlements. It explores the gaps between top-down guidelines – from international organizations, National Governments, and Academia, and grassroots organizing in informal settlements.Through three case studies - namely Buenos Aires (Argentina), Freetown (Sierra Leone), and Ahmedabad (India) - we explore the tensions in the urban interfaces of the COVID-19 pandemic and the responses it engenders.