Dr. Bandauko is an Assistant Professor of Human Geography in the Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences at the University of Alberta. Dr. Bandauko is the Research Lead of the Informality and Everyday Urbanism Lab (INFELA). Before joining the University of Alberta, he completed a postdoctoral fellowship in Just and Equitable Cities at the Mui Ho Center for Cities, Cornell University, USA. Dr. Bandauko earned his PhD in Geography and Environment from the Department of Geography and Environment, University of Western Ontario where he received the Governor General’s Gold Medal for outstanding academic performance and research contributions during his doctoral studies. Dr. Bandauko is an interdisciplinary human geographer and critical urban scholar whose research revolves around four themes: (i) urban informality and everyday urbanism in Global South Cities, (ii) urban inclusion/exclusion and geographies of marginalization, (iii) urban transformation and (iv) built environment and quality of life (including issues such as sense of place, sense of community etc.). Dr. Bandauko has made significant research contributions to urban geography and planning. His work is published in leading journals in the field of urban geography such as Urban Geography, Political Geography, Urban Affairs Review, Environment and Planning D: Society and Space, Geoforum, Environment and Planning C: Politics and Space, Cities, Housing Studies, Urban Research and Practice, Land use Policy, Journal of Urban Affairs, Gender, Place and Culture among others. Dr. Bandauko's research has been funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC), International Development Research Center (IDRC) and the International Journal of Urban and Regional Research (IJURR) Foundation. Dr. Bandauko is also a Research Affiliate with the Informal Sustainability Lab, University of Michigan, USA. 

At the international level, Elmond has contributed to the UN-Habitat World Cities Reports (WCR), including chapters on urban poverty and inequality and resilient urban economies for the 2022 version. For the 2024 WRC, Dr. Bandauko contributed a chapter on climate action and vulnerable urban populations. He is passionate about interdisciplinary, participatory, and action-oriented research that supports the building of just, inclusive, and equitable cities.

Recent Research Outputs

Bandauko, E & Arku, G (2024). ‘They want to get rid of us by all means’: A critical analysis of policy and governance responses and their implications to street traders’ access to urban space in Harare, Zimbabwe. Environment and Planning C: Politics &  Space.
https://doi.org/10.1177/23996544241298414

Dipura, R, Bandauko, E & Arku, RN (2024). ‘Precarious Power’: Implicit Infrastructures and Electricity Access in Witsand, Cape Town (South Africa). Habitat International.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.habitatint.2024.103228

Bandauko, E & Arku, G (2024). “It is No Longer the Sunshine City, it is now a Dump Site City”: Discursive construction of urban space and street trading in Harare, Zimbabwe. Cities.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cities.2024.105488

Makanadar, A & Bandauko, E (2024). Poverty Porn or Poverty Planning? Slum Photography and the Politics of Spatial Representation. Geoforum.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geoforum.2024.104143

Mudapakati, C, Bandauko, E, Chaeruka, J & Arku, G (2024). Peri-urbanisation and Land Conflicts in Domboshava, Zimbabwe. Land Use Policy. 144, 10722.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landusepol.2024.107222

Finn, B, M & Bandauko, E (2024). Dwindling funds and increased responsibilities: Decentralization, unfunded mandates, and Harare’s infrastructure crisis. Habitat International, 148, 103087.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.habitatint.2024.103087

Bandauko, E, Baiden, P, Arku, G, Nyantakyi Frimpong, H, Kutor, S, K & Akyea, T (2024). Sense of Community (SOC) in gated urban neighbourhoods: Empirical insights from Accra, Ghana. Journal of Urban Affairs. https://doi.org/10.1080/07352166.2024.2341901