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Where some might dismissively see slums, , new assistant professor in the Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, sees an alternative mode of city-building at work that needs to be better understood: urban informality. Bandauko's research is informed not only by theory and best practices, but first-hand experience living and working as a street trader, a vendor who sells goods from a temporary stall, in Mbare, an area he describes as, "one of the most dilapidated and stigmatized slum neighbourhoods in Harare, Zimbabwe.” His expertise and experience have led him to pursue a better understanding of how urban policies affect people's access to basic services like water and sanitation.

“My commitment to this work is not just about publishing academic papers, but to give a voice to the disenfranchised by articulating their struggles,” Bandauko explains in this interview. Read on to learn more about his research on street traders, his collaborative work on the concept of "informal infrastructuring” and his vision for reinterpreting urban informality.

Meet Elmond Bandauko.

What brought you to the º£½ÇÉçÇø?

The º£½ÇÉçÇø is the best place to launch my academic career for a couple of reasons. First, the º£½ÇÉçÇø is a leader in advancing the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). So, I am proud to begin my professorial journey at a university whose intellectual mission is to conduct research that directly addresses pressing development challenges such as climate change, poverty, and inequality and international development. My own research on urban informality and governance in African cities specifically aligns with SDG #11 on sustainable and inclusive cities and human settlements. Therefore, the º£½ÇÉçÇø is the right intellectual environment to do this kind of work.

Second, in the Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, especially in the human geography program, faculty members are conducting intellectually stimulating research on areas such as urban housing, geographies of marginalization and inclusive urban development. However, most of this research focuses exclusively on North America. This presents a valuable opportunity to foster north–south and south–south knowledge exchange, enriching the department’s perspectives through more global, comparative and interdisciplinary lenses.

Finally, the º£½ÇÉçÇø’s strong commitment to community-engaged scholarship was a major factor in my decision to join. Its emphasis on research that meaningfully connects with communities beyond the university aligns closely with my belief in the transformative power of locally grounded, socially responsive scholarship.

Tell us a bit about your research program. What will you be studying?

As a critical urban scholar, my work focuses on urban informality, the politics of infrastructure and governance in African cities. I work closely with the urban poor who live in slums and informal settlements and work in the informal sector (particularly street traders) to understand how they navigate exclusionary urban governance in their everyday life.

Geographically, I focus on Harare, Zimbabwe and Accra, Ghana and I am planning to extend my work to other African cities such as Lusaka, Zambia and Freetown, Sierra Leone, among others. For example, during the summer of 2026, I will go to Accra and Freetown to conduct research on how street traders’ associations in these cities negotiate political opportunity structures (POS) to defend the collective interests of their members (street traders). This project builds from my recent paper published in , where I analyze street traders’ collective action in Harare, a politically volatile city. Extending my work to these cities will reveal how Accra and Freetown’s distinct political economies (neoliberal, post-conflict) shape collective action of the poor and what these variations reveal about the possibilities and limits of urban informality as a form of citizenship.

Moreover, I am collaborating with Brandon Marc Finn (University of Michigan) to develop the concept of “informal infrastructuring.” In this ambitious project, we are challenging some of the conventional narratives and amplifying the often-trivialised practices through which the poor develop their own systems of survival under structural conditions of poverty and inequality.

What inspired you to enter this field?

I have always been passionate about doing work that directly speaks to everyday lives. Having lived in Mbare, one of the most dilapidated and stigmatized slum neighborhoods in Harare, Zimbabwe, I developed a lasting desire to understand how urban policies affect people’s ability to access basic services like water and sanitation and the different strategies that they use to meet these needs. In 2009, I worked as a street trader and encountered firsthand the hostility of municipal authorities.

Since then, I made a lasting commitment to amplify the ‘dark side’ of some of the colonial planning instruments that African cities still use to manage urban space. I would like to see cities in the Global South embracing informality not as a problem but as an alternative mode of city-making. My commitment to this work is not just about publishing academic papers, but to give a voice to the disenfranchised by articulating their struggles.

Tell us about your teaching. What courses will you be teaching, or what is your philosophy when it comes to teaching?

My teaching interests are broadly in the areas of cities, urban development and community-based planning. In the fall term, 2025, I will be teaching , which is a second-year undergraduate course that attracts students from different departments across campus. This is an introductory course to urban geography and planning focusing on themes such as housing, climate change, transportation and diversity in North American cities.

My teaching philosophy is rooted in the belief that learning should be active, inclusive and socially relevant. I strive to create a classroom environment where students feel empowered to question dominant urban narratives and engage with multiple perspectives, especially those from historically marginalized communities.

Is there anything else you'd like to share?

My work is published by leading journals in the fields of  human geography and planning such as Urban Geography, Political Geography, Geoforum, Urban Affairs Review, Environment and Planning C: Politics & Space, Environment and Planning D: Society and Space, Cities, Urban Research and Practice, International Planning Studies, Housing Studies, Journal of Urban Affairs, among others. .