Nancy Odendaal

Nancy Odendaal is a Professor in Urban Studies at the Department of Social Sciences, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Basel. She is based in Basel, Switzerland, and holds a prominent role in the Critical Urbanisms program. Her academic expertise lies at the intersection of urban planning, digital technologies, and urban life in the Global South, particularly African cities.

• Institution: University of Basel
• Faculty: Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences
• Department: Department of Social Sciences
• Field: Urban Studies
• Email: nancy.odendaal@unibas.ch

Her research focuses on the interplay between urban livelihoods and the appropriation of new technologies and infrastructure in the urban South. She is particularly interested in how digital platforms are reshaping urban spatialities, governance, and everyday life in African cities. Her 2023 book, Disrupted Urbanism: Situated initiatives in African cities, published by Bristol University Press, is a key contribution to this field. She also investigates themes such as the governmentality of local government digitization, the impact of global tech companies like Google on urban spaces, and the role of hybrid storytelling as a method for knowledge co-production.

Her recent publications reveal a strong trend in critical urbanism, with a focus on rethinking smart city narratives from Southern perspectives. The articles emphasize digital inclusion, resistance, and the social implications of technology in unequal urban contexts. Her work bridges urban planning, critical geography, and science and technology studies, advocating for more situated and participatory approaches to urban research and practice.

Nancy Odendaal is actively involved in the academic community through editorial and review roles:

• Editorial Board Member, Urban Geography
• Editorial Board Member, Journal of the American Planning Association
• Editorial Board Member, Progress in Planning
• Permanent Member, Review Panel, Swiss National Science Foundation SPIRIT Programme
• Member, Interdisciplinary Research Review Panel, Swiss National Science Foundation
• Member, Urban and Rural Areas Review Panel, Swedish Research Council for Sustainable Development

She is committed to experiential and situated pedagogy, integrating her research into her teaching on the Critical Urbanisms degree. She has published on case study methods in African urban planning education and continues to develop methodological frameworks with her students. While specific advisees are not listed, her leadership in the program suggests active mentorship of graduate students.

Nancy Odendaal’s work is central to advancing critical perspectives on urbanization, technology, and planning in the Global South, contributing significantly to both academic discourse and practical urban governance debates.