Broadening the Scope of Spatial Planning: Making a Case for Informality in the Netherlands

Abstract

Informality originated in the field of urban planning studies related to the global South. As this particular debate is aimed at making a contribution to planning theory in general, the concept has gradually traveled beyond the global South. This article explores how informality can be used to analyze community-led planning practices in Western countries, by reflecting on its usability in a country that has a strongly formalized planning context, namely, the Netherlands. By expanding what is currently described as spatial planning, informality makes planning theories and practices more inclusive in cases where unregulated planning activities are performed by nongovernmental actors.