Vision

This project is about bringing an important and relevant exhibition to those interested and involved in the informal sector so that authorities, professionals and the public alike can learn from valuable work that has been done in this field.

The exhibition explores South Africa’s own conditions of informality by providing a showcase for the work being done locally to address these important issues; and it also provides a platform for comparison and an opportunity for peer-to-peer knowledge sharing.

The exhibition focuses on pioneering projects throughout South Africa, in centres that are at the heart of urban migration. The magnetic quality of these centres means that metropolitan areas have a large and continuous need to provide shelter and associated social amenities. These conditions demand innovative and unique approaches to the issues of informality, and this exhibition explores a range of proposals and projects, and their relative successes or failures.

The exhibition displays projects in each of the following categories:

In Situ Upgrading
Catalytic Projects
Un-built Projects
Backyard Interventions
Inner City Informality
The concept for the exhibition is to celebrate and showcase the important design and research work being conducted in our country, some of which is unique to the South African condition, and some of which shares questions and concerns with other developing countries. This exhibition provides a platform for this existing research to become part of a greater academic, professional and even public knowledge.