Urban Limitrophe

About Urban Limitrophe

Urban Limitrophe is a podcast exploring the various initiatives happening in cities across the African continent (and diaspora) to creatively solve problems, support their communities, create vibrant urban spaces, and build better cities overall. Ideas from the continent are often overlooked. This podcast seeks to bring to light the intersecting ideas and practices from urban planning, architecture, economics, arts and culture, geography, and politics that define our urban living, and uncover how to build resilient communities, economies, and ecologies. Tune in to catch interviews with urban planners, designers, researchers, community-builders, creatives and more, doing great work to change the future of their cities and find out how you support them to make a difference in their communities and get inspired to take action in yours.

Publisher

Alexandra Lambropoulos

Category

arts · business · education · government · science · society & culture

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

9 Dec 2020

Latest episode

18 Jun 2026

Latest episodes

36 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   18 Jun 2026

   How My African Aesthetic Is Reimagining Design and Placemaking Across Borders | Eunice Nanzala Schumacher

   What does it mean to design from an African perspective? And how do questions of identity, belonging, and culture shape the spaces we create? In this episode, I speak with Eunice Nanzala Schumacher, architect and founder of My African Aesthetic, about how her experiences living between Uganda and Norway inspired a deeper exploration of African aesthetics, design philosophy, and placemaking. Through conversations with architects, artists, designers, and community-builders from across Africa and its diasporas, Eunice and her team have been documenting the ideas, histories, and practices that shape how people create meaningful places and communities. Together, we explore: - African aesthetics, design philosophy, and placemaking - Identity, diaspora, and the meaning of home - Why documenting African knowledge systems matters - Professor Mugendi's concept of "Africa with a K" - The search for an African placemaking toolbox Ultimately, this conversation explores what happens when different worlds meet. As ideas, identities, and cultural traditions move across borders, they reshape how we understand home, belonging, and place. It is a reminder that home is not always somewhere we return to—it is something we continually create. Guest: Eunice Nanzala Schumacher Acknowledgements: This episode is co-supported by the Nurubian, the University of Toronto School of Cities and the Department of Geography and Planning. About Urban Limitrophe: Please visit www.urbanlimitrophe.com for all episode show notes, references and guest details. To access social media, newsletter, and additional projects visit: https://linktr.ee/urbanlimitrophe Please address any related communication to hello[at]urbanlimitrophe.com Credits: Music by Imany Lambropoulos Podcast concept, development, and design by Alexandra Lambropoulos

2. 

   21 May 2026

   How a Free Building Can Cost Everything: China, Africa, and Gifting Parliaments | Dr. Innocent Batsani-Ncube

   A gift isn't always free. But when a foreign government offers to build your parliament—for free—it's easy to miss where the real cost lands. In this episode, Dr. Innocent (Ib) Batsani-Ncube discusses China's role in constructing parliament buildings across Africa, and what these projects reveal about architecture, power, procurement, and urban development. Drawing from years of research across Malawi, Zimbabwe, and Lesotho, Ib unpacks how these landmark buildings reshape cities and political systems—from imported construction materials and sidelined local architects to leaking domes that only foreign maintenance crews can repair. Together, we explore: - How parliament buildings shape political culture and urban identity - What gets lost when foreign actors design local democratic spaces - Why procurement and infrastructure are never politically neutral - The tension between modernity, symbolism, and local belonging - What ordinary citizens, planners, and parliament staff really think about these projects This episode explores how infrastructure is never just infrastructure. Parliament buildings are not only physical spaces — they shape governance, political culture, procurement systems, and the everyday experience of cities. By examining who builds these spaces and whose visions are embedded within them, the conversation raises deeper questions about sovereignty, urban identity, and development in African cities. Dr. Batsani-Ncube's book, China and African Parliaments, is available now via Oxford University Press. Guest: Dr. Innocent (Ib) Batsani-Ncube Acknowledgements: This episode is co-supported by the Nurubian, the University of Toronto School of Cities and the Department of Geography and Planning. About Urban Limitrophe: Please visit www.urbanlimitrophe.com for all episode show notes, references and guest details. To access social media, newsletter, and additional projects visit: https://linktr.ee/urbanlimitrophe Please address any related communication to hello[at]urbanlimitrophe.com Credits: Music by Imany Lambropoulos Podcast concept, development, and design by Alexandra Lambropoulos

3. 

   3 Mar 2026

   How to Build a Better Innovation Ecosystem: Lessons from Botswana | Dr. Pierce Otlhogile-Gordon

   Innovation is often framed as technology, startups, and global competition. But what happens when we look at innovation through the lens of place? Drawing from Botswana’s efforts to move beyond diamonds, Dr. Pierce Otlhogile-Gordon shares how land, policy, history, and local Indigenous knowledge shape what innovation can — and can’t — achieve. Together, we explore how national ambition meets lived reality — and what other countries, regions, and cities can learn from Botswana’s approach. Together, we explore: - How innovation is shaped by policy, history, and place - The opportunities and constraints facing emerging entrepreneurs - The tension between big development goals and everyday realities Guest: Dr. Pierce Edward Cornelius Otlhogile-Gordon Acknowledgements: This episode is co-supported by the Nurubian, the University of Toronto School of Cities and the Department of Geography and Planning. About Urban Limitrophe: Please visit www.urbanlimitrophe.com for all episode show notes, references and guest details. To access social media, newsletter, and additional projects visit: https://linktr.ee/urbanlimitrophe Please address any related communication to hello[at]urbanlimitrophe.com Credits: Music by Imany Lambropoulos Podcast concept, development, and design by Alexandra Lambropoulos

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

YouTube views

1,399

Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025

Apple Podcasts (US)

5.0 / 5

1 ratings

Spotify

5.0 / 5

8 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 43 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

46

Social presence

0

YouTube

68

Engagement

32

Contact Urban Limitrophe

Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.