The regularity of informality: Reframing the formal–informal relationship with the help of informal housing in London

Abstract

The article suggests distinguishing between illegality as a practical phenomenon and informal regulations as a structuring feature of everyday life. This allows rethinking the role of the law and regulation in contexts of urban informality, showing that the law, and formality more generally, is connected to the informal in that the formal only receives its meaning and relevance through the informal. The concepts are illustrated by case material from informal housing and what is known as ‘beds in sheds’ in London.