UrbanRadar is a new podcast series brought to you by SheffieldUrbanism, and is co-led by the Urban Institute and School of Geography & Planning. The podcast reflects on current events and emerging trends through the lens of cities and urban life. Drawing on the unique range of expertise in the Faculty of Social Science at the University of Sheffield, UK, we place urban dynamics at the centre of contemporary global affairs. Also, the purpose is to promote urban research at Sheffield.
The podcast will address issues of current interest and also provide the opportunity for more 'standalone' special features that showcase your interests. Our plan is to broadcast monthly episodes, so if you would like to take part in a future episode please get in touch.
The format and rationale are explained in more detail in this 3-minute trailer.
In Episode 1, Beth Perry and Tom Goodfellow 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 support or hinder low carbon action? What are the limits and possibilities of action at local, national and international levels?
Vanesa draws on her research on Low Carbon Action in Ordinary Cities, Community Energy Systems and Sustainable Energy Transitions in East Africa and work underpinning her new project on gender equality and inclusion in the just transition.
The podcast is available on all the usual podcast platforms (Spotify, Apple Podcasts etc).
To find out more about the research featured in this podcast, follow Sheffield Urbanism on LinkedIn, or Bluesky, Instagram @urbanradarpodcast or visit www.sheffield.ac.uk/urban-institute
Host/speaker biographies:
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.
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.