Fig. 3

The improved shack in Enkanini-Stellenbosch, South Africa. Figure 3 is a design of the improved shack (iShack) in Enkanini-Stellenbosch (South Africa) that became the boundary object for social engagement and learning among the researchers and community members, and later attracted the attention of industry and municipal authorities as an innovation that could address the need of underserved urbanites in informal settlements, as they await formal service delivery from government. The iShack Project was pioneered by the Sustainability Institute of Stellenbosch University, and it demonstrated how experimenting the design of interconnected infrastructures (housing, energy and sanitation infrastructures), can build bridges across academic, policy and local community actors sustainability in informal settlements. In broader terms, the iShack signifies that cities in Africa comprise of agile informal settlements, which harbor micro-scale innovations and local community actions that can open up unique pathways for leapfrogging sustainability