Informal Services in Asian Cities: Lessons for Urban Planning and Management from the COVID-19 Pandemic

This book explores urban informality in Asian cities and looks how the informal sector's contribution to inclusive and sustainable growth can be enhanced.



While supporting the livelihoods of most of the developing world's urban poor, the informal sector also deprives them of basic services and social protection. Rendered vulnerable to socioeconomic threats, people in the urban informal sector have suffered disproportionately during the COVID-19 pandemic and face a highly uncertain future. The book explores informality's forms and constraints in Asian cities. It describes the pandemic's effects on the informal sector and how leveraging informal services can enable urban resilience. Drawing on interdisciplinary research, the book illustrates the transformative potential of urban planning and governance that addresses informality. It also details measures that could boost the informal sector's inclusive and sustainable growth potential.