1. The Problem: Architecture's Disengagement from Informal Settlements

This chapter frames the urgency and relevance of the informal settlements’ issues in relation to architects’ disengagement from these communities. It starts with a review of the reasons behind the existence and growth of informal settlements, the stats associated with these settlements, the issues faced by their inhabitants, and the opportunities for these communities to pursue a better life. Then, it moves on with briefly looking at how modern-day definitions of the architectural profession place architects above the ‘prosaic’ concerns of how to build and later, how to engage users in building processes. It reviews examples of alternative exercises in this regard, but using examples of professional codes of conduct in a developing (Iran) and a developed country (UK,) it argues that the architectural profession is still recognised mainly as a provider of services to clients who can afford it and tends to stay away from facing social malaises head-on. In the end, it calls for rethinking this position in response to exacerbating the urgencies of today in informal settlements and the relevance of architecture in this context.