Revisiting Stokes’ Theory of Slums: Towards Decolonised Housing Concepts from the Global South

Abstract Recently, large-scale housing programmes have experienced a revival in many countries of the Global South. They are criticised for their top-down, standardised, and supply-driven nature, which hardly meets people’s demands. At heart problem lies concept “material decency”—a normative shelter-centric notion housing, inspired by colonial planning developmentalist thought. Many African confuse decency” with demand-driven, bottom-up concept, adequate housing. Following this, stigmatisation autoconstructed neighbourhoods prevails is primarily reduced to question material shelter. Adding significant contributions about need southern perspectives on urban planning, this chapter offers an alternative entry point revisiting Stokes’ A Theory Slums published 1962. Interestingly, theory did not deal directly but focused “slum” dwellers’ socioeconomic integration structural factors exclusion. I argue re-interpret barriers social escalation as discrimination dwellers. Such may be read major reason behind proliferation so-called slums. Based author’s fieldwork Morocco additional literature, aim deconstruct role offer pathways towards decolonised concepts from For purpose, suggests five cornerstones namely subjectivity, non-materiality, flexibility, contextuality, choice.