Podcast: Urban markets, informality and climate resilience in Harare - ACRC Chris Jordan and Rosebella Apollo are joined by Harare-based practitioners George Masimba and Shiela Muganyi to explore what inclusive urban reform looks like in practice.

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Exploring two ACRC action research projects currently underway in Harare, the discussion focuses around how these initiatives are aiming to upgrade urban markets and build climate change resilience among informal settlement communities.

PODCAST | Urban markets, informality and climate resilience in Harare

In the latest African Cities episode, @chrisjords.bsky.social and Rosebella Apollo are joined by Harare-based practitioners George Masimba and Shiela Muganyi to explore what inclusive urban reform looks like in practice.

Melting metropolis? Why Lagos urgently needs an inclusive heat action plan - ACRC With a current population of approximately 20 million, the current rate of growth indicates that Lagos might become the largest city globally by 2100. Physical development patterns associated with the...

In this blog post, Olumuyiwa Adegun argues that beating the heat is a collective task and that the city of Lagos urgently needs to develop and start implementing a heat action plan before temperatures reach catastrophic levels 👇

www.african-cities.org/melting-metr...

Physical development patterns associated with Lagos's current urbanisation rate result in urban heat island effects.

There is a notable difference in temperature of up to 7°C between the dense, hotter central parts of the city and the peripheral areas of urban sprawl.

With a tropical savanna climate, Lagos has distinct wet (often cooler) and dry (often hotter) seasons.

Average monthly temperature can reach 35°C, with over 70% humidity in February and March, usually the hottest months in the year.

Image showing market streets in Lagos, Nigeria. Credit: peeterv / Getty Images (via Canva Pro).

🌡️ BLOG | Melting metropolis? Why Lagos urgently needs an inclusive heat action plan

Climate change has unveiled challenges for urban centres in Africa, especially large cities like Lagos.

Uncovering the hidden dynamics of solid waste management in Mathare, Nairobi - ACRC Informal waste workers are the unseen backbone of Nairobi’s waste value chain. Moving from households to dumpsites, then to recyclers, farmers, businesses and other end users, they keep solid waste fl...

Read the summary blog post – full report linked at the end! 👇

www.african-cities.org/uncovering-t...

Data collection in Hospital Ward, Mathare, Nairobi. Credit: ACRC Nairobi co-research team

Data collection in Huruma Ward, Mathare, Nairobi. Credit: ACRC Nairobi co-research team

Data analysis by the community research team. Credit: ACRC Nairobi co-research team

Data collection in Kiamaiko Ward, Mathare, Nairobi. Credit: ACRC Nairobi co-research team

A new research report explores the creation of the community-led research strategy, the mapping of Mathare’s waste value chain, the political dynamics underpinning dumpsites and holding grounds, and recommendations for further research into Nairobi’s informal circular economy.

The whole community research team. Credit: ACRC Nairobi co-research team

Taking this forward, Nairobi’s community research lead set out to better understand the dynamics of solid waste management across the Mathare subcounty.

She engaged a team of informal waste workers who planned, collected and analysed the data, before determining next steps.

Solid waste blocking a drainage channel in Mathare Village 3A, Nairobi. Credit: ACRC Nairobi co-research team

ACRC’s foundation phase research identified inadequate solid waste management as a key systemic challenge in Nairobi, particularly impacting informal settlements.

Waste from other city areas often ends up dumped in lower income areas, creating environmental and health hazards.

Graphic card with a photo showing dumped garbage along the riverbank in Kwa Cucu, Mathare, Nairobi, the African Cities Research Consortium logo, and text reading: "Research report | Dumpsites: A community-led study of waste accumulation in Mathare, Nairobi".

NEW | Dumpsites: A community-led study of waste accumulation in Mathare, Nairobi

Informal waste workers are the unseen backbone of Nairobi’s waste value chain – filling the gaps left by formal systems.

Sage Journals: Discover world-class research Subscription and open access journals from Sage, the world's leading independent academic publisher.

Read the open access article here 👇

journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10....

The authors show how telecoms companies are playing a central role in urban speculation in Mogadishu, aimed at both global and local audiences.

Nowhere is this more apparent than in Darul Salaam – the new city being developed for the diaspora and local elites on the periphery of Mogadishu.

In a new open access Urban Studies article, Liza Rose Cirolia, Abdifatah Ismael Tahir, @goodfellowtom.bsky.social and Abdullahi Ali Hassan explore the role of telecommunications companies in the development of urban land in Mogadishu, in relation to these contemporary, contested processes.

Graphic card with a photo of construction taking place in Mogadishu in the background, an African Cities Research Consortium logo and text reading: "Journal Article | Worlding Mogadishu: "New cities" and material modes of urban speculation | Liza Rose Cirolia, Abdifatah Ismael Tahir, Tom Goodfellow and Abdullahi Ali Hassan".

📑 NEW | Worlding Mogadishu: “New cities” and material modes of urban speculation

Somalia’s capital, Mogadishu, has undergone rapid transformation over the past 15 years.

Following the state’s collapse in the 1990s, and subsequent rebuilding, it has become a site of diaspora return and investment.

"Universities have a choice: do they engage with these complexities and learn together with other urban residents – or stand back and risk defining their own irrelevance to the immediate communities around them?"

New blog post on the value of reform coalitions from our CEO Diana Mitlin 👇

How marginalised urban communities in Africa are driving innovation | D+C - Development + Cooperation Africa’s cities are growing fast, and so is the need for inclusive, community-driven innovation. Residents of informal settlements are already developing practical solutions to the challenges they fac...

💡 How are marginalised urban communities in Africa driving innovation?

In this brilliant article for @d-and-c.bsky.social, our community knowledge lead Teurai Anna Nyamangara explores how residents of Harare's informal settlements are quietly innovating everyday 👇

www.dandc.eu/en/article/w...

Left in the dark: Understanding streetlighting provision challenges in Lagos and its informal settlements - ACRC Safe streets make for safe cities, but a lack of lighting can exacerbate the everyday insecurity of urban residents. ACRC’s safety and security research in Lagos found the absence of streetlighting in...

Discover the key findings and recommendations from the study in this summary blog post – or read the full research report linked at the end 👇

www.african-cities.org/left-in-the-...

Building on this, researchers have conducted an in-depth assessment into streetlighting in Lagos – to better understand the provision, quality and impact of streetlighting in the city and to uncover the challenges of streetlight supply in informal settlements.

Graphic card with photo of a street in Lagos, Nigeria at night in the background and the ACRC logo in the top left. Text reads: "Research report | Understanding the polemics around streetlighting in Lagos"

NEW | Understanding the polemics around streetlighting in Lagos

Safe streets make for safe cities, but a lack of lighting can exacerbate the everyday insecurity of urban residents. ACRC’s safety and security research in Lagos found the absence of streetlighting to be a key concern among residents.

Welcoming Professor Tom Goodfellow to Manchester - ACRC We’re excited to welcome Professor Tom Goodfellow to The University of Manchester to take up a dual role as Professor of Urban Development at the Global Development Institute (GDI) and CEO of the Afri...

Find out more about Tom joining us in our blog post! 👇
www.african-cities.org/welcoming-pr...

New research: How land intersects with connectivity in urban Africa - ACRC ACRC has published new research, exploring land and connectivity in six African cities: Accra (Ghana), Bukavu (DRC), Kampala (Uganda), Harare (Zimbabwe), Maiduguri (Nigeria) and Mogadishu (Somalia).

As co-lead of ACRC’s land and connectivity domain, Tom has been involved in the programme since its early days and has also mentored a number of early career researchers within the consortium.

Read more about the land and connectivity research here 👇
www.african-cities.org/new-research...

Photo of Tom Goodfellow and Diana Mitlin sitting with their laptops in front of an ACRC branded banner.

🎉 We’re excited to welcome @goodfellowtom.bsky.social to @manchester.ac.uk as our incoming CEO!

Tom is also joining as Professor of Urban Development at the @globaldevinst.bsky.social and will take over ACRC’s CEO role from Diana Mitlin in August this year.

Equity and digitisation in the property tax system in Lagos: A win-win for all? - ACRC Equitable taxation is about building fairer systems which align with a much-needed path to inclusive urban development. The Lagos property tax system can be improved to facilitate a win-win for all ur...

🏙️ Equity and digitisation in the property tax system in Lagos: A win-win for all?

Taxation is crucial for financing development. This new blog post explores how property tax reform in Lagos could benefit all urban residents 👇
www.african-cities.org/equity-and-d...

Tackling Freetown’s kush epidemic through action research - ACRC Kush is a type of synthetic drug that is widely used by young people in Sierra Leone, especially in the informal settlements of Freetown. It is inexpensive and readily available, making it highly acce...

Discover the key findings from the action research project in this summary blog post – full research report linked at the end! 👇

www.african-cities.org/tackling-fre...

Following initial ACRC city research, the team in Freetown set out to understand how informal settlement communities are responding to the growing kush problem.

Their approach was to learn from community voices, exploring how local groups could work together to prevent and reduce drug use.

Kush is inexpensive and readily available, making it highly accessible to unemployed and marginalised youth.

Its use is associated with a range of harmful effects, including extreme sedation, organ damage and mental health complications.

Graphic card with photo of a coastal informal settlement in Freetown, Sierra Leone in the background and the ACRC logo in the top left. Text reads: "Research report | Empowering youth through collaborative efforts: Addressing kush use and related challenges in Freetown"

NEW | Empowering youth through collaborative efforts: Addressing kush use and related challenges in Freetown

Kush is a type of synthetic drug that is widely used by young people in Sierra Leone, especially in the informal settlements of Freetown.

Podcast: Unpacking housing challenges in African cities - ACRC ACRC’s housing domain co-leads Alexandre Apsan Frediani and Ola Uduku join Diana Mitlin for a conversation around housing justice in African cities, drawing on insights from the seven cities studied i...

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www.african-cities.org/podcast-unpa...