31. INSIDE URBAN STUDIES: Voices from RC21, +chokepoint cities, +Binface, +bar brawls, +polo clubs and more

In July's radar, we report back from one of the major urban studies conferences - RC21 - which is held every two years in different cities across the world. Bringing together 1200 scholars at the University of Vienna, the 2026 conference provided spaces for provocation and discussion about the methods, approaches and theories we need to identify and address urban inequalities in these contemporary times. 

The central part of the episode is a discussion with the editors of the International Journal of Urban and Regional Research (IJURR) - Mona Fawaz, Liza Weinstein and Nik Theodore - about their 50th anniversary plans. We are excited to announce that these include a proposed collab with Urban Radar to produce a mini-series of special episodes connecting long-standing urban questions raised by scholars over the past five decades to contemporary analysis from emerging researchers.

We also share a series of vox-pops from the conference, with Dolf te Lintelo, Catalina Ortiz, Gabriel Silvestre, Nitin Bathla, Simone Tulumello, Lindsay Sawyer and Vanesa Castan Broto.

Before that, on our radar we discuss:

• Whether the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz might herald the development of new 'chokepoint' cities able to control strategic waterways
• What Count Binface could learn from previous comedy candidates standing for election
• The implications of Berlin's bunker shortage for cultural and arts venues
•  The Soho bar brawl and which city has the latest bedtime
• Why young people are busy doing nothing in Bangkok
• Why environmentalists are disputing the closure of a colonial-era polo club in Delhi

Read More:

Founding IJURR editorial, 1977

Reflections on Critical Urban Studies in Perilous Times

RC21 Conference Website 

From Our Archive:

RIVER/CITY: A conversation with Olivia Casagrande and Roberto Monte-Mor

SEEING THE CITY: A conversation with Junia Mortimer and Felipe Magalhaes

URBAN LABS IN TIMES OF CRISIS AND POST-TRUTH: A conversation with Mona Fawaz and Nausheen Anwar

Hosts:

Tom Goodfellow is Professor of Urban Development in the Global Development Institute, University of Manchester.  His research focuses on the political economy of urban development and change in Africa, particularly the politics of urban land and transportation, conflicts around infrastructure and housing, and urban institutional change. (linkedin.com/in/tom-goodfellow-0b418441) 

Beth Perry is Professor of Urban Epistemics and Director of the Urban Institute at the University of Sheffield. Her research focuses on the relationships between urban expertise, governance and justice, underpinned by a commitment to co-producing collective intelligence across multiple scales to address complex urban challenges. She has worked in cities in Africa, Europe and the UK. (linkedin.com/in/itsbethperry)

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Thanks to the Universities of Sheffield and Manchester for providing time, resources and equipment to support this podcast.