global south

‘Speculative infrastructures’ at the urban margins

Earlier this month (September 2018), I participated in a thought-provoking panel engaging the ‘margins’ in the research process. The panel was part of the two-day workshop ‘Speculative Infrastructures and Cities-in-the-Making,’ which was organized by Jon Silver and Paula Meth at the University of Sheffield and supported by Urban Geography journal and the University of Sheffield’s… Continue reading ‘Speculative infrastructures’ at the urban margins

For African cities, ‘tactical urbanism’ has its limits

In Accra, a bicycle vendor has set up shop at the sidewalk in the area of Mamobi.

It was a few years ago that the framework of tactical urbanism, a concept particularly promoted and popularized by U.S. planning design firm Street Plans Collaborative, gained traction, particularly in the United States and European contexts. The idea of tactical urbanism refers to locally led, low-cost and short-term built environment interventions aimed at improving local… Continue reading For African cities, ‘tactical urbanism’ has its limits