3: CITIES & AUTHORITARIANISM (+ addressing urban air pollution, + cities and the UK asylum crisis, and more)
Urban RadarShow Notes
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...
More from Urban Radar
In this month's episode, Beth and Tom mark World Menopause Day (18 October) through an exploratory conversation with Dr Maria Tomlinson (School of Information, Journalism and Communication, University of Sheffield) about menstrual dignity, justice and the city. World Menopause Day is an international awareness day set up since 2009 by the International Menopause Society, in partnership with the World Health Organisation, to break taboos, combat stigma and educate the public about the menopaus...
In this episode Tom and Beth are joined by Catherine Durose from the University of Liverpool and co-lead of the Co-production Futures Inquiry, and Beth Chitekwe-Biti, Executive Director of Slum Dwellers International (SDI) Secretariat and Community Knowledge Lead for the African Cities Research Consortium. Universities are increasingly expected to produce cutting edge research, be relevant and impactful and deliver value to students, governments and industry. They are seen as active pla...
In this month's episode, Beth and Tom reflect on UN World Clean-up Day, inviting Deji Akinpelu (Centre for Housing and Sustainable Development (CHSD) University of Lagos), and Purva Dewoolkar (School of Environment, Education and Development, University of Manchester) to share their work rethinking waste management and sanitation in Lagos and Mumbai. 'Cleaning up the city' is easier said than done - and can also be dangerous, depending on the nature of the waste. Waste management is central t...
In this month's episode, Beth and Tom mark World Indigenous Peoples' Day and the International Day of Youth with Dr Philipp Horn, School of Geography and Planning, University of Sheffield. Drawing on Philipp's work with Indigenous youth from the Bolivian cities of El Alto, Santa Cruz, Sucre and Rurrenabaque, they challenge stereotypes of indigenous lives, highlighting fluid geographies and mobilities between urban and rural areas. Together they discuss Indigenous claims to the city, how...
In July's radar, we report back from one of the major urban studies conferences - RC21 - which is held every two years in different cities across the world. Bringing together 1200 scholars at the University of Vienna, the 2026 conference provided spaces for provocation and discussion about the methods, approaches and theories we need to identify and address urban inequalities in these contemporary times. The central part of the episode is a discussion with the editors of the Internation...