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This paper discusses the terminology and approaches that surround research on local knowledge, which reveal important differences in the emphasis of research following anthropological, as opposed to natural science, traditions. Results from three case studies undertaken in Nepal, Ghana and Indonesia were used to illustrate key points about local knowledge concerned with soil classification, soil fertility and below-ground interactions. Local knowledge of soils can be useful in agricultural development through building on local practice, recognizing the sophistication of local knowledge and realizing its limitations. These aspects are cemented by the integrating principle of effective communication and empowerment. In addition, formal methods for knowledge acquisition, as well as exploration and use of local knowledge with regard to respect, ethics and intellectual property rights, are discussed.

Does 'informal' housing offer more affordable choices for low-income renters in expensive cities? This paper investigates this question with reference to Sydney, Australia, where planning reforms have sought to deregulate housing development including 'informal' and low cost market accommodation, in response to chronic housing affordability pressures. Examining rental advertisements, housing supply and affordability data, and through interviews with local government personnel, we find that informal secondary units and room rentals dominate Sydney's lower cost market, but rents remain high relative to incomes. Further, and despite reforms to encourage new secondary dwellings and low cost rental supply, substandard and non-compliant housing persists, exposing tenants to serious risks. The findings suggest that in high cost cities such as Sydney, the informal sector occupies an important and unrecognised role in housing low-income renters, but that more systemic reforms beyond the planning system are needed to improve housing outcomes for disadvantaged groups.

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In this introduction to the first of two special issues on 'Informal housing practices' we set out the foundations for a research agenda on 'informality' within housing scholarship, and propose initial implications for policy and practice. In doing so we draw from the rich conceptual work by urban geographers and political economists who situate informality within wider processes of neoliberalism, globalisation and deregulation, as well as the small but emerging body of research by housing scholars who see informal housing as both a symptom of, and potential solution to, unmet housing need. Our jumping off point for the special issues was an interest in the dimensions of informal housing manifesting in expensive cities and regions of the global north, where the veneer of 'formal' urban development and housing markets render informal housing practices largely invisible. Grounded within this context, papers in this issue illuminate different dimensions of informal housing practice; from the physical transformation of dwellings through to the ways in which individuals navigate shared domestic space; or how policy makers seek to expand low cost rental markets by legitimising secondary dwellings and micro-apartments. Drawing on the wider literature on informality and the role of the state in producing/resolving unmet housing need; we argue that informal housing practices warrant further research and policy attention, particularly with respect to cities and regions of the global north.