In almost every country in the world, students graduate from schools of architecture and design. According to the International Union of Architects, there are more than 1,300,000 architects worldwide that serve at most 10% of the built urban environment. At the same time, there is one of seven people in the world living in urban informality. Naturally, we ask ourselves: who will “design for other 90%”? Do we, as architects, contribute and play a role in informal cities’ design?

We find roots of design relevance in development from 1940 as a part of the humanitarian aid movement. At that time, design was not introduced as a technical resource for the urban future, but rather as an element of humanitarian assistance. Only in the last 15 years has design begun to be seen as a resource for development, but it is still struggling to be seen as more than a short-term action. Press, media, and design forums more often discuss new approaches in the architecture and design field by applying phrases like “social architecture”, “design as activism”, “urban acupuncture” etc. These terminologies show a new turn in the profession, giving a stronger recognition for the other 90%.