African cities news from GDI
News from the African Cities Research Consortium
New publications
Safety and security: Domain report – Addressing the challenges of insecurity and urban violence is an urgent agenda for African cities. In this paper, Patience Adzande, Paula Meth and Stephen Commins share research findings from studies on lived experiences and perceptions of insecurity in six African cities, and highlight the central role played by residents in maintaining safety.
Full report | Research summary
Informal settlements: Domain report – Informal settlements are home to over half of Africa’s urban population and have emerged as a key frontier for addressing vulnerability and inequality in African cities. In this paper, Smith Ouma, Daniela Cocco Beltrame, Diana Mitlin and Beth Chitekwe-Biti highlight key findings from studies in seven African cities, seeking to expand knowledge around efforts to improve living conditions in informal settlements.
Full report | Research summary
Health, wellbeing and nutrition in Nairobi – Current patterns of population growth, poverty, food insecurity, and poor health and nutrition are increasingly becoming urban challenges, with informal settlement residents most affected. Samuel Owuor, Lilian Otiso, Veronica Mwangi and Inviolata Njoroge present their research findings on the state of health, wellbeing and nutrition in Nairobi, focusing on the factors affecting the uptake of healthy diets in low-income and marginalised urban populations.
Full report | Blog post summary
Building a shared approach to action research – What is action research? How does it vary from more traditional research methods? And how is ACRC incorporating it into the programme’s implementation phase? Drawing on examples and lessons from past projects, this briefing is intended as a useful guide to undertaking effective participatory action research projects for both researchers and community organisations.
Briefing paper | Blog post summary
Podcasts
In the latest podcast episode, Lalitha Kamath talks to Ezana Haddis Weldeghebrael about the transformative potential of urban reform coalitions and the need to value communities’ lived experiences. She argues that the value of coalitions lies in the process of self-organising itself – not just the material outcomes – and highlights how inclusive coalitions can serve to visibilise diverse experiences of urban spaces.
On the blog
- Abdifatah Tahir provides a recap on this year’s UTA-Do workshop, focusing on discussions around the politics of land and advocacy.
- Tom Goodfellow introduces his book, ‘Politics and the Urban Frontier’, which looks at East Africa as the “global urban frontier” and highlights the need to understand the political agendas underpinning urban policy.
- Felix Agyemang and Sean Fox explore why modelling urban expansion is critical for sustainable development in this guest blog post.
- Adewumi Badiora shares findings from his research into what drives insecurity in Lagos, focusing on unemployment and the proliferation of small firearms and drugs as standout trends. Originally published via The Conversation Africa.
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