Windowless homes - Informal housing in unaffordable cities

The recent flooding incident in Seoul killing three people in their "banjiha", or basement home, raised serious concerns about informal housing. Basement homes in Seoul were made famous by the movie "Parasite", but similar informal housing is common in many expensive cities, such as the subdivided units in Hong Kong, garage homes in Auckland and hidden homes in Sydney. In this seminar, held on United Nations' World Cities Day 2022, two scholars from South Korea and Hong Kong will discuss their recent studies on informal housing in their cities. In line with the goals of World Cities Day, this seminar aims to bring different partners and diverse stakeholders together to share their experiences and approaches to local action to create more equitable and sustainable cities.