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Nelson Mandela comes to Brixton. July 12 1996. I cannot even begin to fully assess the influence of Nelson Mandela on my life. From first hearing his name as a teenager to fighting against apartheid through disinvestment campaigns as a student at Durham University in the 1970s; from my outrage at the killing of Steve Biko in September 1977 to my exultation at Madiba's freedom from prison in February 1990; from my tears [...]

Fish tacos, vegan cupcakes, gourmet pizzas, and barbeque ribs, all served from the confines of cramped, idling, and often garishly painted trucks. These food trucks are becoming increasingly common sights in many cities throughout the United States such as Boston, MA, Washington D.C., and Chicago, Ill. Within the past few years, urban dwellers have flocked to these new businesses on wheels to get their fix of food that is inventive, authentic, and often inexpensive. In cities [...]

I'm a Senior Scholar at The Center for Humans and Nature which is based in Chicago. Recently, they asked for my response to the question "How is nature critical to a 21st century urban ethic?" I replied that before I answer, I first need to ask the more fundamental question: “What is nature and how is it constructed by people in our increasingly different and diverse urban communities?” Read my full response here

This unique and insightful text offers an exploration of the origins and subsequent development of the concept of ‘just sustainabilities’. Introducing Just Sustainabilities discusses key topics such as food justice, sovereignty and urban agriculture; community, space, place(making) and spatial justice; the democratization of our streets and public spaces; how to create culturally inclusive spaces; intercultural cities and social inclusion; ‘green collar jobs’ and the just transition as well as alternative economic models such as co-production. With a [...]

For those of you who read my recent Blog Danger. Overhead Catenary Wires are Alive!? you'll understand I'm not an MBTA (Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority), or more simply ‘T’ basher. I love it. We need it. I get it. I use it. But who's in charge of communications? Read the notice above at Porter T Station. Someone at MBTA Customer Communications please, please put me out of my abject and oxymoronic misery and tell me just what is a [...]

Don't get me wrong. I'm not one to poke fun at public transport systems; I love them, I use them in whichever city I visit, and I visit a lot of cities around the world. I was given Mark Ovenden's wonderful Transit Maps of the World and geekishly pore over it, memorizing details, recalling experiences I've had in the cities he covers. But the time has come to stand up, proud, and be counted in revealing [...]