Urban Radar

This month’s special feature focuses on the rise of authoritarianism in cities (34:48).  What are the strategies and tactics that authoritarian regimes might use to control their capital cities? Beth and Tom are joined by David Jackman to discuss the insights provided in his edited book with Tom, as well as a discussion of urban political dynamics in Bangladesh - the subject of David's other new book. 

With Miguel Kanai and Hannah Lewis, they dive into urban interventions to address air pollution (13:17) and discuss the UK’s hostile asylum regime and how Cities of Sanctuary can help (22:59).

Also on our radar (2:51):

• Looming war in the Horn of Africa, and the role of cities and towns
• AI facial scanning technologies in Sheffield, and its potential risks
• Student protests in Serbia and their link to major urban investments
• The challenges of urban infrastructure - from water shortages to potholes in Johannesburg and UK cities

Tune in now for a jam-packed informative episode brought to you by Sheffield Urbanism. 

Guests:

Miguel Kanai is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Geography and Planning. His work examines the urbanisation of the world under contemporary globalised capitalism and implications for communities in the Global South. 

Hannah Lewis is a Senior Lecturer in Sociological Studies. Her recent work has explored how the social and legal status of migrants can create lasting insecurities and vulnerabilities to poverty and social exclusion. 

David Jackman is a Lecturer in Development Studies at the Oxford Department of International Development (ODID). His recent book ‘Syndicates and Societies’ explores life in Kawran Bazar, in Dhaka, and offers a new approach to understanding the nexus of urban life, crime and politics.

Read more:

Green fences for Buenos Aires: implementing green infrastructure for (more than) air quality

Faith, bordering and modern slavery: A UK case study

Controlling the Capital: Political Dominance in the Urbanizing World

Syndicates and Societies: Criminal Politics in Dhaka

Hosts:

Tom Goodfellow is Professor of Urban Studies and International Development in the School of Geography and Planning at the University of Sheffield. His research focuses on the political economy of urban development and change in Africa, particularly the politics of urban land and transportation, conflicts around infrastructure and housing, and urban institutional change.

Beth Perry is Professor of Urban Epistemics and Director of the Urban Institute at the University of Sheffield. Her research focuses on the relationships between urban expertise, governance and justice, underpinned by a commitment to co-producing collective intelligence across multiple scales to address complex urban challenges. She has worked in cities in Africa, Europe and the UK.

If you want to know more about the research featured in this podcast, follow Sheffield Urbanism on LinkedIn, or bluesky, Instagram or visit www.sheffield.ac.uk/urban-institute

Email feedback to: [email protected]

Thanks to the Faculty of Social Science at the University of Sheffield for funding this podcast and the Creative Media Suite for recording facilities.

In this month's feature (21:09), Tom & Beth turn their attention to Manchester’s model of property-led development. As the UK government pins hopes on enabling greater private sector investment to boost economic growth, can the 'Manchester model' deliver the expected outcomes? They are joined by Adam Leaver and Richard Goulding to discuss their new report, co-authored with Jon Silver, on the "Centripetal City: A Critique of Supply-Side Urban Development". 

In our wrap-up of what’s on our radar (01:49) we also cover:

• What fatbergs and sinkholes tell us about the urban underground 
• How Artificial Intelligence might affect  urban culture
• The spatial implications of UK cuts to aid to finance defence spending 

And, with Madeleine Pill, we dive (08:23) into the urban dimensions of the German elections and the governance questions that sit behind current concern about local government finances in England. 

Guests:

Madeleine Pill is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Geography & Planning. Her work takes a critical approach to the theory and practice of governance and policy at the urban/ local/ neighbourhood scales. 

Adam Leaver is Professor in Accounting & Society and Director of the Centre for Research on Accounting and Finance in Context (CRAFIC). Adam’s primary research interest is in the financialization of the firm. 

Richard Goulding is a Lecturer at the Management School. His interests lie in the interaction between finance, social reproduction and urban space, exploring how these combine to shape housing geographies.

Feature References:

New report critiques supply-side urban development | CRAFiC | The University of Sheffield

The Rentier City: Manchester and the Making of the Neoliberal Metropolis - Repeater Books

The Greater Manchester Gentrification Index

Hosts:

Tom Goodfellow is Professor of Urban Studies and International Development in the School of Geography and Planning at the University of Sheffield. His research focuses on the political economy of urban development and change in Africa, particularly the politics of urban land and transportation, conflicts around infrastructure and housing, and urban institutional change.

Beth Perry is Professor of Urban Epistemics and Director of the Urban Institute at the University of Sheffield. Her research focuses on the relationships between urban expertise, governance and justice, underpinned by a commitment to co-producing collective intelligence across multiple scales to address complex urban challenges. She has worked in cities in Africa, Europe and the UK.

If you want to know more about the research featured in this podcast, follow Sheffield Urbanism on LinkedIn, or bluesky, Instagram or visit www.sheffield.ac.uk/urban-institute

Email feedback to: [email protected]

Thanks to the Faculty of Social Science at the University of Sheffield for funding this podcast and the Creative Media Suite for recording facilities.

On this month's Urban Radar, Beth & Tom zoom in on:

• Why recognising the rights of a New Zealand mountain is an urban issue 
• Conflict in Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo and its impacts on the city of Goma
• How cutting US international development funding will impact cities 
• Whether ‘more-than-schools’ can offer community level responses to the crisis in young people and children’s mental health
• Waste tipping in Litchfield, UK

And in our Special Feature (24:20) on Cities and Climate Change, they are joined by Vanesa Castán Broto and David Dodman, two external authors of the UN-Habitat World Cities Report to discuss:

What role do cities and local governments have in addressing climate change?Which communities are impacted most by climate change? What is a just transition? How do formal and informal systems at local, national and international levels support or hinder low carbon action? 

Guests:

Vanesa Castán Broto is Professor of Climate Urbanism at the University of Sheffield. Her research focuses on the governance of global environmental change in an age of urbanization. She leads the JustGESI project which aims to advance equality and inclusion in community energy projects and policy frameworks, by addressing the skills gaps that have historically kept women and marginalised groups out of the clean energy economy.

David Dodman is the General Director at The Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS) at the Erasmus University Rotterdam, a key global institution on education, research and policy work on urban development since its foundation 65 years ago. He has worked on sustainable urban development research in universities and research institutes for the past 20 years. His research interests focus on urban climate change resilience and informality.

Guest editor:

Linda Westman is a Senior Research Fellow at the Urban Institute. Her research revolves around environmental politics, with a focus on urban climate governance, transformations, and justice. She leads a European Research Council project on just transitions in the context of environmental politics in China.

Hosts:

Tom Goodfellow is Professor of Urban Studies and International Development in the School of Geography and Planning at the University of Sheffield. His research focuses on the political economy of urban development and change in Africa, particularly the politics of urban land and transportation, conflicts around infrastructure and housing, and urban institutional change.

Beth Perry is Professor of Urban Epistemics and Director of the Urban Institute at the University of Sheffield. Her research focuses on the relationships between urban expertise, governance and justice, underpinned by a commitment to co-producing collective intelligence across multiple scales to address complex urban challenges. She has worked in cities in Africa, Europe and the UK.

If you want to know more about the research featured in this podcast, follow Sheffield Urbanism on LinkedIn, or bluesky, Instagram or visit www.sheffield.ac.uk/urban-institute

Email feedback to: [email protected]

Thanks to the Faculty of Social Science at the University of Sheffield for funding this podcast and the Creative Media Suite for recording facilities.

In this trailer, we set out the background to Urban Radar, the format of the show and the main questions that we will explore. 

Urban Radar is a podcast series which reflects on current events and emerging trends through the lens of cities and urban life. It is brought to you by Sheffield Urbanism, a community of urban researchers in the Faculty of Social Science at the University of Sheffield, UK. 

Urban Radar places urban dynamics at the centre of contemporary global affairs. In each episode we scan the news to bring unique urban perspectives into the issues that shape our world. We will invite members of our research community to provide evidence-based informed insights into the ways that cities and urban communities are impacted by, driving and responding to current events.

We will also include special features that profile cutting-edge research and analysis happening within and beyond the Sheffield Urbanism community. These link to the overarching questions we will explore in the podcast, including: 

• How can urban research help to build solidarity and a sense of belonging in the face of rising individualism, consumerism, and capital accumulation?
• How can we foster place-based innovation to harness technological developments as tools to address inequalities between different groups within and across urban areas? 
• What potential does urban political mobilisation have to transform power relations in a world characterised by authoritarianism and oligarchy? And what are its limits?
• Whose knowledge and expertise - human, non-human and artificial - gets to determine the way we live together in urban space?
• How can and do urban communities re-imagine cities as spaces of environmental justice and sustainable inhabitation?

Join us each month as we attempt to decode some of the events and issues on our urban radar - and if you want to know more, follow Sheffield Urbanism on LinkedIn and Bluesky.

CREDITS:

Podcast production, presentation and editing: Tom Goodfellow and Beth Perry 

Post-production editing and marketing: Polly Clifton

Training and production support: Jack Clayton

Distribution, promotion and marketing: Riya Singh and Vicky Simpson

Music: Horizon (original music by Tom Goodfellow, recorded and produced by Alan Thomson)

Podcast Cover: Dan Farley Designs

Hosts:

Tom Goodfellow is Professor of Urban Studies and International Development in the School of Geography and Planning at the University of Sheffield. His research focuses on the political economy of urban development and change in Africa, particularly the politics of urban land and transportation, conflicts around infrastructure and housing, and urban institutional change.

Beth Perry is Professor of Urban Epistemics and Director of the Urban Institute at the University of Sheffield. Her research focuses on the relationships between urban expertise, governance and justice, underpinned by a commitment to co-producing collective intelligence across multiple scales to address complex urban challenges. She has worked in cities in Africa, Europe and the UK.

If you want to know more about the research featured in this podcast, follow Sheffield Urbanism on LinkedIn, or bluesky, Instagram or visit www.sheffield.ac.uk/urban-institute

Email feedback to: [email protected]

Thanks to the Faculty of Social Science at the University of Sheffield for funding this podcast and the Creative Media Suite for recording facilities.