Michele is out again, this time with Creighton Connolly, knee deep in Asian urbanism and nature. Creighton reflects on his scholarship, and personal journey, across East and Southeast Asia, thinking of the value of unpacking landscapes and the opportunities of thinking of ‘extended urbanisation’. We wonder around a carp pond and get stuck in an edge, thinking of questions of resilience and the place of nature amidst urban development. We think of temporalities and breaking binaries, against defeatist attitudes and in favour of a new urban political ecology. We take you from Penang to Hong Kong, and wonder with Creighton how participatory methods could evolve for a more effective urban scholarship that comes from the (South-)East.

Caitlin joins Catalina Ortiz, discussing mundane observations and innovating how we tell the story of urban studies. Catalina takes the helm as an expert urban walker to guide us in the in-between of critical urbanism, architecture and spatial imagination. We go from Colombia to a global view, via London, seeking to displace the Anglo-Saxon tradition in favour of opening more inclusive spaces for a wider cast of urbanists. We chat about the opportunity and limitations of writing the Latin American city, and dance between big infrastructural challenges to academia and deeply personal reflections. We literally get lost with her on a staircase, captured by a contemplation on how we innovate storytelling for urban studies.

Caitlin takes to the streets of Manchester with local Jon Silver, discussing the trajectory of urban theorising between Norths and Souths. Jon expertly navigates us, in practice and in personal reflection, through Manchester and many Southern settings of his work, with a close eye to urban infrastructure and questions of social justice. We jump between Ancoats and Mbale in Eastern Uganda, via sizeable urban corridors that are recating the politics and economics of urbanisation across the world Jon prompts us to think of working with experts, local and professional, untangling hugely complex urban infrastructures through forensic collaborations. We get taken into a deeply personal reflection on the meaning of the (global) urban scholar and the possibilities for us to create a more inclusive research space for the next generations.

Caitlin and Michele walk the city with Jennifer Robinson. Or, better, Jenny guides Caitlin rather expertly through London’s Kings Cross. Jenny and Caitlin discuss comparative approaches to cities and the place of the ‘South’ in urban theory, whizzing their way across one of London’s shiniest urban redevelopment spots. We think of complex comparisons across very different contexts. We hear a call on a practical implementation of ‘more global’ urban studies, and a very personal reflection on grounding this into place, even in London, whilst calling us to sink our teeth into collaboration rather than critique.

In this episode, Michele Acuto and Caitlin Morrissey discuss with Sergio Montero, a professor at the University of Toronto Scarborough, his journey from a small town in Spain to his work on urban solutions and global best practices. Montero highlights the circulation of urban policies, particularly Bogotá’s transportation innovations, and the role of philanthropies like Bloomberg Philanthropies in promoting these models. He also discusses the concept of a posteriori comparisons, which allows for a global perspective on urban issues by comparing cities like Bogotá and Porto Alegre. The conversation underscores the complexities and nuances of urban studies and the importance of diverse perspectives in theorising urban phenomena. Show notes are available on the Urban Studies Podcast website: urbanstudiesonline.com/podcast

The conversation features Michele Acuto, Caitlin Morrissey, Zara Shabrina, and Mike Batty discussing urban studies, platform economies, and spatial analytics. Zara and Mike, both experts in urban research, explore the impact of platforms like Airbnb on urban housing markets, highlighting the issue of Airbnb misuse in London. They find that London’s housing market is affected by Airbnb misuse, particularly in gentrifying areas. Mike reflects on the evolution of urban studies and the challenges of predictive models post-COVID. The discussion also touches on the use of machine learning and programming languages in urban research. Visit the Urban Studies Podcast website for more details: urbanstudiesonline.com/podcast

Shenjing He, Professor of Urban Planning at the University of Hong Kong, discusses the often-overlooked inland and smaller cities in China, emphasising the need to understand Chinese urbanism beyond coastal cities. She highlights the concept of ”urban villages,” which are economically viable and provide livelihoods for migrants, but face challenges in gaining citizenship and urbanisation. Shenjing also explores the ”enterprising self” in Chinese urbanism, where middle-class individuals see themselves as shareholders in urban development. She warns of the unsustainable nature of urban development driven by speculation and debt, predicting a tough decade for China’s urbanisation due to economic downturns and the need for redevelopment of urban villages. Show notes are available on the Urban Studies Podcast website: urbanstudiesonline.com/podcast

Dallas Rogers discusses the utility of conceptual metaphors in urban theory, emphasising their role in revealing new empirical tracks and conceptual insights. He critiques the potential for these metaphors to become empty signifiers, used merely to chase citations and social media engagement. Rogers also explores the concept of ”unsolicited urbanism,” highlighting elite deal-making behind closed doors in high-profile urban developments like Barangaroo in Sydney. Additionally, he underscores the importance of podcasting in urban research, viewing it as a means to share information, build communities, and democratise knowledge. Show notes are available on the Urban Studies Podcast website: urbanstudiesonline.com/podcast

Elsewheres, middles and comparisons: Julie Ren, Michele Acuto, and Caitlin Morrissey discuss the challenges of conducting urban studies across language and cultural barriers. They emphasise the importance of understanding nuances of language and culture in the field and critique the parochialism of urban theory. They also discuss the politics of aspiration and diversifying urban studies, emphasising the importance of representation, positionality, and learning foreign languages to expand epistemological perspectives. Julie Ren shares her personal connection to Berlin, where she spent part of her childhood in the 1980s, and reflects on the significance of the Berlin Wall and its impact on her experiences. Show notes are available on the Urban Studies Podcast website: urbanstudiesonline.com/podcast

Densities and crowds, fragments, and sanitation: Caitlin and Michele walk the city with Colin McFarlane, with a conversation about hopes and concerns on the state of cities that take us from the outskirts of Glasgow to the informal settlements of Mumbai and Delhi. Colin talks us through leaps into unknown spaces, and we discuss the importance of densities in urban studies, amidst cultural differences and pressing inequality issues on the ‘right to citylife’. Amidst toilets and sewers, we think of the politics of life in urban settlements, and how we can learn about the crowded buzz of cities in fragments. Show notes are available on the Urban Studies Podcast website: urbanstudiesonline.com/podcast