Voices Unveiled: Enhancing Urban Upgrading through Participatory Data Collection in South African Informal Settlements

Participatory data collection has become increasingly significant in urban planning, especially in the Global South, where informal settlements are expanding rapidly but remain excluded from official data systems. In South Africa, about one in four urban residents lives in informal settlements, yet their realities are frequently ignored in development planning. This marginalization is partly due to the absence of accurate, community-generated data, which deepens inequalities in service delivery, land tenure, and infrastructure provision. This paper explores how participatory data collection can support more equitable urban upgrading in South African informal settlements. Drawing on a mixed-methods study—using surveys, interviews, participatory workshops, and document analysis—we examine three settlements in Gauteng and the Western Cape. Our analysis focuses on the interactions among residents, NGOs, and municipal officials, and the extent to which participatory data shapes planning outcomes and governance. The findings indicate that participatory data efforts improve data reliability and promote community ownership. However, they also highlight persistent challenges: unequal power relations, superficial engagement, and resistance from formal institutions. While participatory approaches hold transformative potential, their impact is often limited by a lack of genuine co-production and institutional uptake. We argue that embedding participatory data practices within a broader framework of data justice and municipal accountability is vital. When formalized within planning systems, participatory data collection can shift urban upgrading from a top-down technical process to one that is inclusive, responsive, and grounded in the lived realities of informal settlement residents.