Urban reform coalitions: Foregrounding tacit knowledge with Lalitha Kamath

03/20/24 • 56 min

“No textbook can tell you how to do this.”
ACRC defines inclusive urban reform coalitions as partnerships between government, experts and civil society organisations – often directly involving communities and groups most directly affected by the issues at hand – to drive sustainable urban transformation.
In this episode, Lalitha Kamath – professor in the School of Habitat Studies at the Tata Institute of Social Sciences in Mumbai – joins Ezana Haddis Weldeghebrael for a conversation about the transformative potential of urban reform coalitions and the need to value lived experience.
Talking about how she became interested in governance coalitions during her PhD, Lalitha argues that the value of coalitions lies in the process of self-organising itself – not just the material outcomes. She highlights how inclusive coalitions can serve to visibilise diverse experiences of urban spaces and calls for a reshaping of the politics of expertise.
Lalitha Kamath is an urban planner and policy analyst, and currently teaches in the Centre for Urban Policy and Governance, School of Habitat Studies, Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai.
Ezana Haddis Weldeghebrael is a research fellow in the international development department at the University of Birmingham and an honorary fellow at The University of Manchester. He was previously a postdoctoral research fellow at the African Cities Research Consortium.
Further reading

Lalitha Kamath | Coalitions and urban transformation: Contributions and limits
Diana Mitlin | The contribution of reform coalitions to inclusion and equity: lessons from urban social movements

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Music: Brighter Days | Broke in Summer
Sounds: Zapsplat
This podcast presents the views of the speakers featured and does not necessarily represent the views of the African Cities Research Consortium as a whole.

Stay up to date with the latest publications, announcements and insights from the African Cities Research Consortium:
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Lalitha Kamath | Coalitions and urban transformation: Contributions and limits
Diana Mitlin | The contribution of reform coalitions to inclusion and equity: lessons from urban social movements

Stay up to date with the latest publications, announcements and insights from the African Cities Research Consortium:
> Website
> E-news
> Bluesky
> LinkedIn
> YouTube
> X (Twitter)

Previous Episode

Action research and coalition building in Nairobi

“From the design of the project, from the design of the tools, to implementation, to data collection and everything, the community should be at the lead, at the forefront, speaking about their issues.”

ACRC research in Nairobi has brought together communities, academics, county and government officials and the private sector, to come up with actions that support communities at the city level. Jane Wairutu from SDI-Kenya, and Nicera Wanjiru Kimani and Nancy Njoki Wairimu from Muungano wa Wanavijiji, sat down with ACRC informal settlements domain co-lead Daniela Cocco Beltrame, to talk about their experiences of the first phase of ACRC research in Nairobi.
They discuss the challenges of finding language to bridge the gap between academics and local communities, highlight the benefits of bringing stakeholders together outside of their silos, and stress the importance of enabling communities to lead action research and to have ownership of data for advocacy purposes.
Nancy Njoki Wairimu is a national federation leader for Muungano wa Wanavijiji and a community mobiliser, with a background in community development and as a community health volunteer.
Nicera Wanjiru Kimani is a woman leader in her community, a federation member at Muungano wa Wanavijiji and the founder of Community Mappers.
Jane Wairutu is a sociologist and programme manager at SDI-Kenya, working closely with data and project implementation teams.
Daniela Cocco Beltrame is a PhD researcher in development policy and management at The University of Manchester, and co-lead for ACRC's informal settlements domain.
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Music: Brighter Days | Broke in Summer
Sounds: Zapsplat
This podcast presents the views of the speakers featured and does not necessarily represent the views of the African Cities Research Consortium as a whole.

Stay up to date with the latest publications, announcements and insights from the African Cities Research Consortium:
> Website
> E-news
> Bluesky
> LinkedIn
> YouTube
> X (Twitter)

Next Episode

Advancing inclusive housing in Lagos

Two thirds of people living in Lagos reside in informal settlements, often in flood-prone areas and with limited access to basic services. As more and more people move into the city, the already high population density is rising. With more than 8,000 people per square kilometre in some parts – over 40 times Nigeria’s average – Lagos is struggling to meet the housing demands of its ever-expanding population.
ACRC research highlights a lack of attention on improving the climate resilience of Lagos at the community and city levels. Additionally, it draws attention to major issues with the rental sector, inadequate provision for gendered housing access and challenges around high construction costs.
So, what can be done to increase housing provision in Lagos, and ensure all residents have access to safe, affordable, serviced accommodation?
In this podcast episode, ACRC’s uptake director Ismail Ibraheem is joined by Deji Akinpelu, Lookman Oshodi and Basirat Oyalowo for a conversation around housing challenges in Lagos and how inclusive, affordable and climate-resilient housing solutions might be implemented. They discuss the need for a social approach to housing provision, why transformation must be inclusive of vulnerable populations and how cooperative societies can play a key part in providing accessible housing financing for disadvantaged groups.
> Read more in ACRC’s housing domain reportIsmail Ibraheem is director of International Relations, Partnership and Prospects (IRPP) at the University of Lagos and ACRC’s uptake director.
Deji Akinpelu is co-founder of Rethinking Cities, an advocacy group working on urban development issues in Lagos.
Lookman Oshodi is project director at Arctic Infrastructure in Lagos, which focuses on climate-resilient infrastructure to improve the functioning of urban systems.
Basirat Oyalowo is a senior lecturer at the University of Lagos in the Department of Estate Management and was the housing domain lead for ACRC’s foundation phase research in Lagos.
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Music: Brighter Days | Broke in Summer
Sounds: Zapsplat
This podcast presents the views of the speakers featured and does not necessarily represent the views of the African Cities Research Consortium as a whole.

Stay up to date with the latest publications, announcements and insights from the African Cities Research Consortium:
> Website
> E-news
> Bluesky
> LinkedIn
> YouTube
> X (Twitter)

African Cities - Urban reform coalitions: Foregrounding tacit knowledge with Lalitha Kamath

Transcript

Ezana Haddis Weldeghebrael Welcome to the African Cities podcast. I am Ezana Haddis Weldeghebrael, a postdoctoral researcher at the African Cities Research Consortium. Today, we have the privilege of delving into the intricacies of transformational potentials and limitations of coalitions with Doctor Lalitha Kamath. This podcast interview is part of a mini podcast series produced on urban reform coalitions. It’s my honour and pleasure to be joined today by Dr Lalitha Kamath,