We’re excited to welcome Professor Tom Goodfellow to The University of Manchester to take up a dual role as Professor of Urban Development at the Global Development Institute (GDI) and CEO of the African Cities Research Consortium (ACRC) – a position he will take over from Diana Mitlin in August this year.
With a focus on the political economy of urban development and change in Africa, Tom’s primary research interests lie in the politics of urban land and transportation, conflicts relating to infrastructure and housing, and urban institutional change.
He is author of “Politics and the Urban Frontier” (2020), as well as co-author of “Living the Urban Periphery” (2024), “Controlling the Capital” (2023) and “Cities and Development” (2016).
As co-lead of ACRC’s land and connectivity domain in the foundation phase, Tom has been involved in the programme since its early days and has also mentored a number of early career researchers within the consortium.
Aside from his research with ACRC, Tom has worked in a number of urban contexts in Africa, including in Ethiopia, Uganda, Rwanda, Nigeria, Tanzania and Kenya. He has also been involved in advisory work for many international organisations, including FCDO, UN-Habitat, the UN Economic Commission for Africa and Oxfam GB.
Diana Mitlin will be staying on at ACRC to induct Tom until August this year, before taking a year-long sabbatical to focus on writing up experiences and learnings from the project.
On her move towards retirement and Tom coming on board, Diana said: “The work and people that I have engaged with through ACRC has been deeply rewarding. It is a privilege to have been able to share in activities to further urban reform across urban Africa leading to more inclusive and prosperous cities. The ACRC team in Africa, the UK and beyond is amazing. They always say that ‘nothing last forever’, but that does not mean it cannot change to be stronger and better.
“As I advance towards the end of my career, and think about how to identify processes that will carry on this work, it is wonderful to welcome Tom to ACRC and GDI at The University of Manchester. Tom has already contributed so much to advancing our collective understanding of the ways in which power functions in cities, and how we can nurture more inclusive and prosperous urban neighbourhoods and centres. I am delighted that we have persuaded him to cross the Pennines and join the ACRC team in Manchester.
“I am very much looking forward to the six months that we will work together. I anticipate a very enjoyable and intellectually exciting journey as we work with academics, practitioners and professionals across Africa to share lessons and plan future activities. Above all, I am grateful that, through Tom’s forthcoming contribution, ACRC has an opportunity to grow further in its work towards ensuring Africa’s urban centres offer a future in which every urban resident has the chance to grow to their full potential.”
Sam Hickey, Head of GDI, said: “We’re delighted to welcome Professor Tom Goodfellow to GDI this month, where he’ll be joining a vibrant community of academics, postdoctoral researchers and students.
“Tom will be working particularly closely with colleagues researching and teaching about global urban futures and the political economy of development in Africa, building on the links established through earlier collaborations through the Effective States and Inclusive Development (ESID) research centre. Tom shares our commitment to making the links between critical thinking and social justice and will be able to draw on our new Research for Transformation Lab to help ensure maximum impact for his cutting-edge research.”
On joining GDI and ACRC, Tom said: “It’s such a privilege to be taking up this position in the most dynamic centre for global development research and teaching in the UK – and at the same time to have the opportunity to lead the ACRC into a new phase.
“Diana, the ACRC team and the Consortium partners across Africa and beyond have done incredible work in building this network. Since the first conference that brought ACRC researchers together in 2022 in Nairobi, I was struck by how unique it is to be able to convene such a critical mass of knowledge and experience from African cities, with a mandate to focus relentlessly on urban challenges and how communities can mobilise to address them. I’m very excited to be joining at a point when much of this is coming to fruition, and to be doing so from within the remarkable academic community at Manchester’s Global Development Institute.”
You can hear more from Tom via the excellent Urban Radar podcast, which he co-hosts alongside Professor Beth Perry from the University of Sheffield.