Perspectives on Hybridity: Comparative Insights from Informalisation of Infrastructure Delivery in Ghana and Peru

This paper comparatively explores different perspectives on hybridity in infrastructure delivery, understood as the unique configurations of formal and informal practices in urban development. We argue for deconstructing the dualism of "formal" and "informal" in this context, proposing instead a conceptualization that sees both as powerful social constructs influencing urban planning practices, rather than as accurate reflections of the far more diverse lived realities in various global and local contexts. Over the past three years, we investigated hybrid urbanisms in three neighborhoods each in Arequipa (Peru) and Sunyani (Ghana) to better understand the concept's relevance and related practices in the context of infrastructure delivery. Building on this work, the proposed paper addresses the following questions:

• How is hybridity in infrastructure delivery produced through the practices of different actors?
• How do the actors themselves understand hybridity?
• What different perspectives on hybridity can be identified through a multiscalar comparison?

Using a qualitative design, fieldwork was conducted over extensive periods, including extended stays in the neighborhoods, complemented by interviews with residents and non-resident experts. We identified distinct perspectives on the realities of the studied infrastructures—water and mobility—through the multiscalar comparison of actors, infrastructures, neighborhoods, and the geographical contexts of Ghana and Peru. The result is a categorization of six perspectives on hybridity, three at the individual level and three at the institutional level. These perspectives highlight different rationalities, resources, and limitations connected to infrastructure delivery, aiming to provide a more nuanced understanding of practices and conflicts in this complex field.