Cities and the SDGs: Realities and possibilities of local engagement in global frameworks
City action is critical to achieving global visions for sustainability such as the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). However, SDG ‘localisation’ is complex procedure, with divergent outcomes depending on context … Continue reading
Urban informality, politics and power in Egypt
“The Egyptian military regime of Abd al-Fattah el-Sisi has announced as part of its Vision 2030 its intention to eliminate informal urban areas. The regime has identified these areas – … Continue reading
Southern Theory without a North: City Conceptualization as the Theoretical Metropolis
There have been calls to broaden urban theory to incorporate learnings from the Southern or ordinary cities (periphery). These calls are often placed as a counter to the hegemony of … Continue reading
Is urbanisation in the Global South fundamentally different? Comparative global urban analysis for the 21st century
A vigorous debate has emerged in recent years over how to understand cities of the Global South. A pivotal issue in this debate is whether urbanisation processes in the South … Continue reading
Globalizing the Sociology of Gentrification
This article engages the debate around the utility of the gentrification concept outside of postindustrial Northern cities. It argues that, in contrast to geographers and other interdisciplinary urbanists, many US-based … Continue reading
Informal work in sub-Saharan Africa – Dead end or stepping-stone?
Despite rapid economic growth in recent decades, informality remains a persistent phenomenon in the labor markets of many low- and middle-income countries. A key issue in this regard concerns the … Continue reading
Street food as infrastructure: consumer mobility, vendor removability and food security in Mexico City
Street food vendors are a ubiquitous but controversial feature of Mexico City’s foodscapes; in the context of urban renewal and modernization projects, vendors are frequently portrayed as backwards, dirty, and … Continue reading
The fluid city, urbanism as a process
Cities seem solid and static, but are fluid and in motion. Cities in archaeology are often identified and conceptualised through shared characteristics (e.g. irrigation, hierarchy, monuments). The archaeological record reveals … Continue reading
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