Health in Urban Environments Series: The role of religion and communities in urbanisation in Africa

Speaker: Gareth Millington, Sociology, University of York

Title: Religious Urbanisation and the ‘Infrastructural Turn’ in Urban Theory: reflections from Lagos and Kinshasa

Gareth Millington is an urban sociologist who has recently been working on a GCRF Cities and Infrastructure project titled Religious Urbanisation in Africa (with colleagues at Kent and Toronto). The research, based in Lagos and Kinshasa, aims to uncover the emerging inequities and conflicts in rapidly urbanising cities where Pentecostal churches have become powerful actors in urban expansion and urban regeneration, providing infrastructures such as homes, roads, bridges, energy, schools, hospitals and universities.

Speaker: Steve Cinderby, SEI-York

Title: How creative engagement methods can contribute to delivering 2030 SDG targets?: Examples of sustainable transport and air pollution from Nairobi and Kampala  

Steve is a Senior Researcher focussed on community resilience, urbanisation issues (including green infrastructure and mobility) and their links to wellbeing. He also helps lead the SEI Transforming Governance research theme which examines how governance processes can become more inclusive and accountable, and how governance outcomes can become more effective and equitable.

Building upon a completed GCRF network grant (CMIIST) that explored with artists, practitioners, planners and policy makers the potential benefits of using more creative methods to co-design urban infrastructure to enhance mobility, the I-CMIIST project will explore whether more creative co-design methods can reveal alternative more inclusive streetscape options that would facilitate safer urban mobility in Nairobi (Kenya) and Kampala (Uganda). Steve will also speak about another SEI project, The AIR (Action for Interdisciplinary Air Pollution Research) Network, which is developing an integrated transdisciplinary method to address the topic of air pollution in informal settlements in Kenya. 

Health in Urban Environments Event Series

This event forms part of the Health in Urban Environments Event Series where York Environmental Sustainability Institute (YESI), Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI), Interdisciplinary Global Development Centre (IGDC), Wolfson Atmospheric Chemistry Laboratories (WACL) and several Research Champions are joining forces to host an event series to explore Urban Living-related research and innovation at the University of York.

Through a series of workshops, lunchtime seminar, full day events and discussion sessions, we will gain insight into the historical development of the world’s cities and the social and environmental consequences of urbanisation.

Events in the series:

Exploring transport in an African city context: 12:00-14:00, 22nd January 2019

Global pollution in urban environments: 12:00-13:30, 27th March 2019

Transforming urban infrastructure: the role of religion and communities in urbanisation in Africa: 12:00-13:30, 11th April 2019

Mental health in urban environments: 9:30-12:30, 2nd May 2019

Clean Air Day- air pollution and York: 9:00-17:00, 13th June 2019