City of Desire by Dr. Tanzil Shafique is a portrait of the largest informal settlement in Bangladesh. It seeks to develop a Southern perspective on urban slums, challenging mainstream Western discourses. Dr. Shafique’s approach is rooted in a personal and thematic exploration of slum dwellers’ lived experiences, proposing new ways of understanding their struggles, aspirations, and how they have managed to design and build a city of 300,000. The book talk offered an overview of the book’s content while also highlighting the experience of navigating the publication journey as an early-career researcher.
Dr. Tanzil Shafique is an Associate Professor of Urban Design at The University of Sheffield School of Architecture. Previously, he taught at the University of Melbourne, Australia and the University of Arkansas, USA. Tanzil’s research looks at southern urbanism, pluriversal architectural practice and informal planning, particularly by climate change-impacted communities. He is co-founder and Honorary Executive Director of Next50 Knowledge Commons, a majority worlds think-tank with particular focus on Bangladesh. Tanzil’s recent books also include Atlas of Informal Settlements (Bloomsbury, 2024).
