Periodic Reporting for period 2 - GlobalCORRIDOR (Urbanization, everyday life and techno-social differentiation)
Período documentado: 2023-01-01 hasta 2024-06-30
GlobalCORRIDOR’s central concern is to account for the emerging pattern of contemporary urbanization in which new infrastructural geographies are being produced, with uncertain consequences for urban inequality. In doing so it examines the everyday ways in which inequality as techno-social differentiation is now being produced, experienced, navigated and potentially addressed. Urbanization is one of the most important challenges of the 21st century with over 50 percent of the world population urban, and an estimated 6.7 billion people residing in urban regions by 2050. Urban dwellers are often living in highly unequal conditions and this differentiation is intimately tied to various types of infrastructure that are fundamental to addressing issues including poverty reduction and sustainability. Whether across the life-support systems of cities operating essential services such as water, or the technologies of capital accumulation facing out to the world economy, understandings of infrastructural life require explanatory approaches to articulate these differentiated experiences. In particular, such studies require paying attention to the everyday geographies shaped by proliferating number of large-scale infrastructure projects known as corridors.
GlobalCORRIDOR proposes the first comprehensive, social science study of this new global, urban geography of Corridor Urbanization through an agenda-setting programme of research to respond to the immense changes to urban life these visions, plans, and investments are likely to impose and the gaps in literature addressing this phenomenon. The aim of GlobalCORRIDOR is to address the challenge of how we understand Corridor Urbanization and to assess how these infrastructure led transformations are shaping urban inequality, as an everyday experience of techno-social differentiation.
The four objectives of GlobalCORRIDOR are to:
1. To assess the global, urban geography and selected history of new corridors and the ways these projects are assembled in order to understand the role of urban regions.
2. To explore the everyday assembling of Corridor Urbanization to assess how investment in infrastructure is generating inter-urban relations/material connections between urban regions.
3. To investigate the everyday experiences of Corridor Urbanization within urban regions in order to understand the differentiated ways in which infrastructure is operated and accessed.
4. To explain the global, urban geography of infrastructural corridors in reshaping the urbanization process in order to set a new agenda for global research.
GlobalCORRIDOR proposes the first comprehensive, social science study of this new global, urban geography of Corridor Urbanization through an agenda-setting programme of research to respond to the immense changes to urban life these visions, plans, and investments are likely to impose and the gaps in literature addressing this phenomenon. The aim of GlobalCORRIDOR is to address the challenge of how we understand Corridor Urbanization and to assess how these infrastructure led transformations are shaping urban inequality, as an everyday experience of techno-social differentiation.
The four objectives of GlobalCORRIDOR are to:
1. To assess the global, urban geography and selected history of new corridors and the ways these projects are assembled in order to understand the role of urban regions.
2. To explore the everyday assembling of Corridor Urbanization to assess how investment in infrastructure is generating inter-urban relations/material connections between urban regions.
3. To investigate the everyday experiences of Corridor Urbanization within urban regions in order to understand the differentiated ways in which infrastructure is operated and accessed.
4. To explain the global, urban geography of infrastructural corridors in reshaping the urbanization process in order to set a new agenda for global research.
Phase One: Set up: June 2021-June 2022
Set up of the project at the University of Sheffield including the recruitment of three PDRA’s that will contribute to WP1 and act as the Research Leads for the case study areas. The recruitment process resulted in over 80 applicants for three posts with three-year contracts awarded. Setting up of management systems, ethics and risk assessments, and other administrative duties. Re-design of the work packages.
Phase Two: Global Assessments and Comparative Framings - July 2022-August 2023
In this phase the research team undertook a detailed literature review of the academic studies on corridors as part of the theoretical development of the project resulting in an initial two papers, one published and one nearing publication. We developed a historical framework for thinking through histories of trade/technology and urban growth leading to a monograph length paper. We worked on the database and atlas with our technology team, producing a bespoke software with over 10,000 data points across over 70 corridors. We received ethics clearance from the University of Sheffield and worked with our Independent Ethics Advisor to ensure fully comprehensive risk assessments in place. We worked with the university to develop a new set of protocols around extended fieldwork period of one year. We initiated our global corridor seminar series.
Phase Three: Fieldwork Design and Delivery, September 2023 to September 2024
In this phase the three Sheffield based PDRAs moved to be hosted by our partners and acted as Research Leads for each case study region. We finalised agreements for partnerships with Karachi Urban Lab, IBA (Pakistan), British Institute of East Africa (Kenya), Crete University (Greece), American University of Cairo (Egypt) and Polytechnic di Torino (Italy). We undertook recruitment of research teams based at our partners with up to x3 research assistants and a creative collaborator joining the project in Pakistan, Greece and Kenya. We conducted detailed training, case study selection and research co-design with our teams. We are currently researching across a diverse set of case studies sites including: Lahore, Karachi, Gwadar, Faisalabad, Tharparker, Mbale, Lamu, Mombasa, Naivasha, Nairobi, Hoima, Kampala, Athens and Crete, as well as the infrastructure systems that connect these urban spaces.
Phase Four: Analysis and Publications September 2024 to end of project
In this phase we will analyse our data, developing eight comparative papers, a number of case study based papers from our case study regions with our partners, we will also deliver our symposium and a collective book project and exhibition.
Set up of the project at the University of Sheffield including the recruitment of three PDRA’s that will contribute to WP1 and act as the Research Leads for the case study areas. The recruitment process resulted in over 80 applicants for three posts with three-year contracts awarded. Setting up of management systems, ethics and risk assessments, and other administrative duties. Re-design of the work packages.
Phase Two: Global Assessments and Comparative Framings - July 2022-August 2023
In this phase the research team undertook a detailed literature review of the academic studies on corridors as part of the theoretical development of the project resulting in an initial two papers, one published and one nearing publication. We developed a historical framework for thinking through histories of trade/technology and urban growth leading to a monograph length paper. We worked on the database and atlas with our technology team, producing a bespoke software with over 10,000 data points across over 70 corridors. We received ethics clearance from the University of Sheffield and worked with our Independent Ethics Advisor to ensure fully comprehensive risk assessments in place. We worked with the university to develop a new set of protocols around extended fieldwork period of one year. We initiated our global corridor seminar series.
Phase Three: Fieldwork Design and Delivery, September 2023 to September 2024
In this phase the three Sheffield based PDRAs moved to be hosted by our partners and acted as Research Leads for each case study region. We finalised agreements for partnerships with Karachi Urban Lab, IBA (Pakistan), British Institute of East Africa (Kenya), Crete University (Greece), American University of Cairo (Egypt) and Polytechnic di Torino (Italy). We undertook recruitment of research teams based at our partners with up to x3 research assistants and a creative collaborator joining the project in Pakistan, Greece and Kenya. We conducted detailed training, case study selection and research co-design with our teams. We are currently researching across a diverse set of case studies sites including: Lahore, Karachi, Gwadar, Faisalabad, Tharparker, Mbale, Lamu, Mombasa, Naivasha, Nairobi, Hoima, Kampala, Athens and Crete, as well as the infrastructure systems that connect these urban spaces.
Phase Four: Analysis and Publications September 2024 to end of project
In this phase we will analyse our data, developing eight comparative papers, a number of case study based papers from our case study regions with our partners, we will also deliver our symposium and a collective book project and exhibition.
After the set-up phase the project is undertaking detailed research with a range of global partners on the proliferation of infrastructure corridors. This work is designed into four work packages:
- WP1: Detailed global-level assessments of infrastructure corridors, theorisation of corridors
- WP2: Detailed city-level case studies of infrastructure corridors
- WP3: Detailed community-level cases studies of the impact of infrastructure corridors
- WP4: An detailed articulation of alternative imaginaries/plans of the corridor
Key activities include:
- A global database and atlas (on/off-line) of infrastructure corridors
- Global seminar series and workshops with our wider network of collaborators
- International Symposium
A range of outputs including
- High-quality academic publications (open access)
- Working papers and media collaborations around societal issues developed from research
- Visual outputs including at least two film/mixed media outputs and an exhibition
- A detailed website holding the atlas and database, regional case studies of infrastructure investment, visual outputs including films, case study write ups and follow the corridor methods
- WP1: Detailed global-level assessments of infrastructure corridors, theorisation of corridors
- WP2: Detailed city-level case studies of infrastructure corridors
- WP3: Detailed community-level cases studies of the impact of infrastructure corridors
- WP4: An detailed articulation of alternative imaginaries/plans of the corridor
Key activities include:
- A global database and atlas (on/off-line) of infrastructure corridors
- Global seminar series and workshops with our wider network of collaborators
- International Symposium
A range of outputs including
- High-quality academic publications (open access)
- Working papers and media collaborations around societal issues developed from research
- Visual outputs including at least two film/mixed media outputs and an exhibition
- A detailed website holding the atlas and database, regional case studies of infrastructure investment, visual outputs including films, case study write ups and follow the corridor methods