Urban Humans

Today over half of the world’s expanding population live in cities. What does this mean for being an ‘urban human’? Answering this question requires knowledge of how technological, environmental, biological and political changes affect urban life. It is also necessary to understand how urban humans are imagined and how these framings inform city processes.

The theme advances our understanding of the distinctive nature of the 21st Century ‘urban human’ and examines implications for policy-making, planning and design.

Research Questions
–   Do assistive technologies and architectures extend human capacities and functionality beyond existing human norms?
–   How does urban life shape the corporeality and physical/mental health of bodies and does this produce a distinctive type of urban human?
–   Does the need to live with others and deal with tensions, generate questions about specifically ‘urban’ human rights?
–   What survival strategies are needed for the marginalised urban human that improvises on the edge of the formal economy?

The team

Director: AbdouMaliq Simone

UI Members: Michele Lancione | Jonathan Silver

Associates: Anant Maringanti, Hyderabad Urban Lab | Prasad Shetty, School of Environment and Urbanism Mumbai | Rodrigo Castriota, Federal University of Minas Gerais, Brazil | Miya Irawati, National University of Singapore | Teresa Caldeira, University of Berkeley, California | Gautam Bhan, Indian Institute for Human Settlements | Kelly Gillespie, University of the Western Cape, Cape Town

Publications

Books

Simone, AM (2019) Improvised Lives: Rhythms of Endurance in an Urban South. New York; London: Polity Books.
Simone, AM and Pieterse E (2017) New Urban Worlds: Inhabiting Dissonant Times. New York; London: Polity Books

Book Chapters

Simone, AM (2019) On Hold. In Ricky Burdett and Philipp Rode (eds.) Shaping Cities in an Urban Age. London: Phaidon.
Simone, AM (2019) Relational Economy. In Anthony Orum (ed.) The Wiley-Blackwell Encyclopaedia on Urban and Regional Studies. Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell.
Simone, AM (2018) The Politics of Increments in Collective Urban Action. In Rita Padawangi (ed.) Routledge Handbook of Urbanisation in Southeast Asia. London; New York: Routledge.
Simone, AM (2018) Precarious Detachments: circulating futures in urban Southeast Asia. In Setha Low (ed.) Routledge Handbook on the Anthropology of the City: Engaging the Urban and the Future. London; New York: Routledge.
Simone, AM (2018) Detachment Down South: On Salvage Operations and City-making. In Kerry Byström, Ashleigh Harris and Andrew Webber (eds.) Cities of the South/Cities of the North. London; New York: Routledge.
Simone, AM (2018) Inoperable Relations and Urban Change. In Russell West-Pavlov (ed.) The Global South and Literature. Cambridge University Press.

Journal Articles

Simone AM (2020) (Non)Urban Humans: Questions for a Research Agenda (The work the urban could do). International Journal of Urban and Regional Research 44(4): 755-767.
Simone AM (2020) Cities of the Global South. Annual Review of Sociology 46: 602-623.
Simone AM (2020) Fanfare for the Unsettled. City and Society 32(2). Bishop R and
Simone AM (2020) Extending Sovereignty in Light of Black Urbanity. boundary 2 online
Simone AM (2019) Maximum Exposure: Making Sense in the Background of Extensive Urbanization. Environment and Planning D: Society and Space 37: 990-1006.
Simone AM (2019) Muslim Hoedowns, Tentative Language, and the Uncertain Lives of an Urban Majority.” (The 2018 IJURR AAG Lecture) International Journal of Urban and Regional Research 43: 1193-1208.
Simone AM (2018) The Urban Majority and Provisional Recompositions in Yangon. The 2016 Antipode RGS-IBG Lecture. Antipode 50: 23-40.
Simone AM (2018) Designing Space for the Majority: Urban Displacements of the Human. Cubic Journal 1; 124-135.

Research projects

Coordination of the Urban Institute September School. A series of three workshops in September 2020 focussing on critical themes of urban inhabitation.

Jointly coordinated Seminar Series with ‘Life at the Margin’s research theme:

Dwelling in Liminalities: Uncanny Conversations Spring 2020
The Urban Human: Conundrum and Interstices Winter-Spring 2019

An International Urban Convocation on Cities and Covid-19. A monthly gathering of urban researchers around the world to conduct personal discussions centered on the implications of the pandemic on urban research and engagement.

Coordination of the Sheffield Desk on Urban Popular Economy. A clearinghouse for research popular economy, network building, collaborative research, popular publications and seminars.

Co-coordinator, with Columbia University Projects of the Network of Southern Urbanisms.