New programme of research: Urban Uncertainty – Governing Cities in Turbulent Times

The Urban Uncertainty project is a collaborative investigation into emerging ways of envisioning and governing the future of cities. Combining empirical research with theoretical exploration, it seeks to develop a set of conceptual tools for analysing and comparing the diversity of ways in which urban governments and populations orient themselves towards the uncertain and the unknown.

In the context of heightened anxiety about climate change, financial crisis, armed conflict, political instability, natural disaster, and disease outbreak, the driving question behind this effort is: How are contemporary cities governed, built, planned, and lived in anticipation of uncertain futures?

The project is divided into two interrelated initiatives: 1) case studies from a select group of cities (Karachi, Bogotá, Accra, Johannesburg); and 2) a workshop series that focuses on different dimensions of urban uncertainty, from health and housing to crime and climate.

For more information about Urban Uncertainty, visit the project website.