Background: In general, informal settlements have more or less the same needs in terms of the umbrella terms of “engineering services”. The challenge is that they vary in densities (which is usually very high, e.g. 1000 persons per hectare), layout is haphazard in nature, often located on a floodplain. Most of the informal settlements are built on hazardous wastes or an old landfill site if not on a pipe servitude, on river banks, on dolomite rocks/soil and under high voltage electricity areas.
Objective: This means that if informal settlements are to be provided with municipal engineering services, there should be some deviations, adaptations or modifications of some of the engineering standards specified. It should also be recognised that informal settlements also differ in the way they have occupied space. Amidst all the above challenges, relocation of informal settlements should be avoided and the decision be taken as the last resort, only where the lives of the residents are extremely at risk, like in cases where settlements are below flood lines and on an old landfill site.
Method/s: The paper aims to share insights from South African situation and to reinvent a discussion of different approaches and methods in that the aim should be sharing good practice from evolving challenges across the globe. The core causes of high densities will be illuminated and an analysis of the guiding literature will be done in line with the so - called "Red Book", which has been the cornerstone of South African engineering services. This is complemented or evidenced by a presentation of a Case Study.
Results: Situational Modalities are highlihted, which mostly, depend on the spaces occupied which ultimately calls for differential and incremental upgrading of municipal engineering services.
Implications/Conclusion: The results from the analysis of the case study calls for a realisation of informal settlement’s differences and thus a need for continous and thoughtful innovations and creation of new approaches in the provision of municipal engineering services when upgrading, hence reflexive and incremental approaches is recommended by the paper.
Key words: Informal settlements; municipal; engineering services; upgrading; reflexive; incremental; modalities; Red Book