Book excerpt: Revisiting urban informality: A positive spin on informality in planning practice is about about informality in planning practice and this is a book we have long been thinking about writing on the mode of operation of our cities. This volume attempts to understand our urban imaginaries in a different perspective. The topics discussed in this book inform us about everyday realities in our cities. Many of those realities have been unnoticed and under-researched. The book begins by looking at the a variety of approaches which have been taken by planners, sociologist and urban economics and identifies several themes relating to urban informality. Individual chapters then address a number of topics which are at the heart of the current debates.