Publication
Infrastructure Inequities in Focus Collegium Fellows Co-Author New Nature Cities Publication
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Borofsky, Y., Kersey, J., Caprotti, F. et al. An agenda for data-rich, action-oriented, ethical research on infrastructure in informal settlements. Nat Cities 2, 1026–1036 (2025).
A new perspective paper has been published in Nature Cities. It is first-authored by former Early-Career Fellow Yael Borofsky and co-authored by Tea Lobo, also a former early-career fellow. The paper examines persistent infrastructure inequities in modern cities and advocates for more coordinated, ethical, and action-oriented research in low-income urban contexts. This work grew out of a transdisciplinary symposium hosted at the Collegium in 2024.
Bringing together a diverse group of scholars and practitioners, the authors argue that fragmented data and methodological silos continue to undermine efforts to improve infrastructure access in informal settlements. At a time when new technologies make it possible to “see” these neighborhoods without engaging residents, the paper advances a focused agenda: integrating diverse methodological and epistemological approaches, prioritizing research that informs context-specific action, and committing to shared ethical standards that center affected communities.
The Collegium helped to initiate this collaboration by hosting the symposium and accompanying exhibition on data collection in infrastructure-deprived urban areas. Additional funding support was provided by ETH for Development (ETH4D).
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