This paper showcases adaptive community arrangements regarding land use transformation in coastal informal settlements. The specific focus was to ascertain the level of access of residents' land ownership and uses over decades against different external interventions. The paper also presents processes of adaptation and modification evolving as part of the interactions among stakeholders in dealing with basic infrastructure issues and related problems in the area caused by such land arrangements. Set against a backdrop of addressing gaps in formal planning systems which impose a ‘one size fits all’ approach in developing typology of land use change over time, this study outlines the importance of human-scale mapping and planning in informal settlements to understand local contexts and provide accurate baseline data and information to utilize in basic infrastructure planning and development in the Global South. In addition, the paper expands methods in spatial and social mapping as effective tools to analyze land use change and interconnected variables influencing development in response to lack of details acquired by conventional mapping tools. Utilising a case study of coastal seaweed farming settlements, the methods applied include the use of human-scale mapping documenting 3D typology of the settlements as well as social-economic and cultural attributes in order to develop a comprehensive information regarding land use transformation.