Exploring the diversity of informal settlements in Brazil: a clustering approach to qualitative field survey data

Upgrading informal settlements and improving the living conditions of their dwellers is still a challenge. In addition, it is important to produce up-to-date information about them. This exploratory research aimed at expanding the knowledge on informal settlements through the identification, description and comparison of typologies present in Brazil. It relied on an extensive qualitative field survey applied to 157 municipalities in six regions. The territorial scope and format of data introduced methodological challenges that were addressed by using an ensemble k-modes clustering approach. The results illustrate the diversity of informal settlements through four typologies with distinctive characteristics.