West African Coastal Urbanism and Heritage

Description

The Urbanism and Coastal Heritage Lab’s objective is to investigate the dual threat of rapid  globalisation and climate change particularly related to West Africa’s coastal urban built environment, cultural heritage and the socio-economic livelihoods of the most vulnerable in this region. 

Through an interdisciplinary lens, the focus of the lab is centred on the following themes: 

• Documenting urban, built environment and cultural heritage of West African coastal cities.
• Exploring how climate change and globalisation have impacted housing, sustainable livelihoods and other development processes in coastal West African cities
• Determining what needs to be done to enhance the environmental and social sustainability of the built environment across West African coastal cities.
• Engender co-learning between coastal cities, starting from the Liverpool – Lagos nexus.
  
  

Envisaged research projects cut across understanding climate impacts of coastal ar

eas in the areas of housing, health and livelihoods; effects of globalisation and the economic (mis)appropriation of coastal city resources on urban planning. design and sustainability; tangible, intangible and hybrid heritage outcomes of colonialism and post-colonialism on indigenous and urban communities, migrant and transnational resource flows between Liverpool and West African coastal cities, patterns of indigenous knowledges for climate adaptation and mitigation in coastal communities to mention a few. These are however intended as a guide, with the exact scope and focus of the research to be determined by the candidate and shaped to address their ideas and interests, whilst responding to the thematic focus of the lab. Case studies MUST be in or relevant to West Africa.

Possible Research Questions:

• How did colonialism, independence and globalisation shape policy and investment towards West Africa, and what impact did this have on infrastructure, public facilities, housing, healthcare, education, on the one hand; and on communities, systems and cultures on the other?   
• How has globalisation and/or climate change shaped value in the West African urban built environment and how have governments (colonial and/or current) intervened and influenced this process in coastal cities?
• How was the built environment shaped/reimagined in light of globalisation? How might this shape notions of identities of the West African coastal city of today? 
• What are the socio-spatial patterns of change in West Africa’s coastal communities and cities? Who are the key agents of West Africa’s urban turn? How did they drive and shape the built environment and cultural heritage, and what were their key objectives, agendas and outcomes? What does this mean for urban futures?

For any initial queries regarding these studentships, please contact Taibat Lawanson (Taibat.Lawanson@liverpool.ac.uk) or Ola Uduku (O.Uduku@liverpool.ac.uk)

For queries regarding the application process, please contact pgarts@liverpool.ac.uk. 

To apply for these studentships, you must submit an online application to PhD Architecture via Architecture - University of Liverpool, by 30^th May 2025. In the relevant section of the application form that asks about funding, please include that you will be applying to the West African Coastal Urbanism and Heritage Studentship.

You may need the following documents to complete your online application: 

To support your application, you will need to submit the following to the application portal:

• BA & MA award certificates (or evidence of equivalent professional experience)
• BA & MA transcripts
• (If applicable) English language certificate (IELTS minimum overall 6.5, no component below 6.0) or accepted equivalent
• Two references (ideally both should be academic references)
• CV
• Passport details
• Personal Statement/Cover Letter expressing motivation for applying and pursuing a PhD on this thematic area.

• Research Proposal/Project Plan: This is your chance to set out how you would like to design and plan the research project. Please produce a Project Plan that includes the following headings:

Proposed project outline and suggested research questions

Proposed Methodology

Selected Bibliography.

The project plan should not exceed 1000 words. 

To apply for these studentships, you must submit an online application to PhD Philosophy via Architecture - University of Liverpool, by 30^th May 2025. In the relevant section of the application form that asks about funding, please include that you will be applying to the West African Coastal Urbanism and Heritage Studentship.

Shortlisted applicants will be invited for an interview before final selection.  We are expecting this to take place in June 2025 via Zoom.

Applicants should have met all the entry requirements, including the English-language requirements, by the interview date.