The 11th i-Rec conference (workshop, student competition and fieldwork) explores processes, actors, initiatives, and decisions in three main areas: disaster risk reduction, climate action, and post-disaster reconstruction. The event, titled (in)formalities, recognizes that multiple forms of agency with different levels of legitimacy, influence, and recognition coexist and must be understood and coordinated to produce positive, sustainable change. The 2025 edition of the i-Rec conference seeks to understand relationships between top-down and bottom-up actions, and different forms of “formality” and “informality” in decision-making processes, governance structures, and institutions. We will reveal the actions of regular citizens, civil society groups, and communities in the face of risk and examine the relationships between them and the decisions, projects, policies, and plans made by governments, international institutions, and humanitarian and development agencies.