On 11 May 2023, LDE Global organised a panel discussion on Urban Transitions in the Global South, connected to the inaugural lecture of Prof. Shuaib Lwasa at the International Institute of Social Studies, part of Erasmus University Rotterdam.
The panel brought together scholars from Leiden University, Erasmus University Rotterdam, TU Delft and the University of Ibadan (Nigeria) to examine how urban transitions unfold in Global South contexts. The discussion focused on governance, inequality, infrastructure, climate pressures and the political dimensions of urban transformation.
That exchange has now resulted in a substantial academic outcome:
Urban Transitions in Africa
Edited by Prof. Shuaib Lwasa and Mandipa Bongiwe Ndlovu, the volume develops many of the themes that shaped the inaugural lecture and the LDE panel. It brings together perspectives on African urban transitions, highlighting the opportunities and complexities of innovation, climate adaptation, equity and institutional change in rapidly evolving urban systems.
The volume provides an in-depth overview of urban transitions across African contexts, with a focus on innovations that open alternative development pathways and harness opportunities in critical and the rare earth mineral resource base to spur employment, productive economies for equitable development. It emphasises that successful transitions depend on the nature of systemic change. The volume highlights that to harness the resourceful and youthful population on the continent, geopolitics has be realigned for transactional relationships moving away from dependency relationships. This means identifying what is required to enhance equity, address climate change, foster sustainable cities and strengthen resilient urban systems.
Importantly, the book is grounded in African perspectives and realities of the potential demographic dividend and growing economic markets. Each chapter synthesises academic research, policy reports, case studies and first-hand accounts, creating a comprehensive and context-sensitive exploration of contemporary urban transformation.
The volume aligns closely with Prof. Lwasa’s research agenda on urban resilience and global development, particularly his focus on systemic change and inclusive pathways in cities facing climate and socio-economic stress.
Mandipa Bongiwe Ndlovu, co-editor of the volume, also hosted the Urban Uncovered podcast series within the LDE community. In that series, researchers and practitioners reflected on urban transformation from multiple regional and disciplinary perspectives, exploring governance challenges, institutional reform and lived urban realities. The podcast created space for dialogue across continents and sectors, complementing the themes further developed in this volume.
“Urban transitions in Africa are often reduced to population growth and infrastructure deficits. But the story is far more layered. They are shaped by technological shifts, the geopolitics of critical minerals, colonial economic dependencies, climate innovation grounded in indigenous memory, and the persistent challenge of financing transformation under structural constraint.
The question is not only how African cities grow, but how they are governed, financed, imagined, and built under conditions of global uncertainty.”
— Mandipa Bongiwe Ndlovu
Why this matters
Urban transitions are not abstract policy debates. They shape how millions of people live, work and adapt to climate change. African cities are among the fastest-growing urban regions globally, and the choices made today will define trajectories of equity, sustainability and resilience for decades to come.
Scholarship that is rigorous, locally grounded and attentive to systemic change is essential if urban transitions are to move beyond generic models and towards context-sensitive, equitable transformation.
This publication shows how an inaugural lecture can catalyse sustained collaboration and contribute to knowledge that is both academically rigorous and societally relevant.
More information about the book:
https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-032-04795-3
About the editors 
Shuaib Lwasa is Professor of Urban Resilience and Global Development at Erasmus University Rotterdam and University of Twente. His work focuses on climate change and cities, health, urban poverty and spatial planning. He has contributed to major global scientific assessments, including those of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction.
Mandipa B. Ndlovu is a doctoral candidate at the African Studies Centre, Leiden University. Her research examines the political economy of future governance in African cities. She has published on institutional reform and post-conflict justice and held visiting research positions at the University of Edinburgh and Stellenbosch University’s Institute for Futures Research.
LDE Global
The panel discussion was organised under the umbrella of LDE Global, the strategic collaboration between Leiden University, Delft University of Technology and Erasmus University Rotterdam. It was co-hosted by the Nuvoni Centre for Innovation Research (Kenya), the International Institute of Social Studies and the Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies of Erasmus University Rotterdam, and the International Centre for Frugal Innovation.
This institutional constellation created the foundation for a dialogue that crossed disciplinary, geographic and institutional boundaries — a dialogue that has now matured into this edited volume.