The Urban Studies Podcast Grant – Apply now!

In 2024, Urban Studies launched a pilot initiative to deliver a high-quality, first-of-a-kind podcast miniseries to explore the opportunities and challenges of podcasting for urban research. This has led to a successful release of the two-part series “Walking the City With..”. It deployed immersive podcasting methods and tested how to peer review podcast material, to take our readers (and listeners) beyond the paper, into the lives and experiences of our editors and authors. Now, it’s up to you!

While continuing journal-curated episodes, Urban Studies is offering a £10,000 grant to produce a new miniseries modelled on “Walking the City With..”, to be published on the Urban Studies Podcast by the journal, with the aspiration to continue innovating, by taking listeners to diverse urban settings, voices and theories. We are soliciting proposals from our readership by 30 March 2026.

What are we looking for?

A proposal to deliver a miniseries between 5 to 8 episodes of approximately 30 mins length each, produced by November 2026 in either single release or two-part release (like “Walking the City With…”), ideally by a group of urban researchers or an established urban research centre, able to feature diverse themes, voices and contexts from those we have already been tacking, submitted in the format below.

What are we offering?

A £10,000 grant; journal editorial and administrative support to peer review episodes and publish the podcast through the journal; guidance (if useful!) on recording and producing practices, tools and approaches; dissemination via journal channels; a chance to be part of a unique(ly peer-reviewed and visible) innovative approach to urban podcasting.

What do we need from you?

A proposal, no more than 2 pages long (A4, 12-pt font) of the miniseries content, timeline and approach; CVs of the main hosts, producers (2 pages max, including relevant socials, podcasting and media experience).

How will we evaluate?

Proposals will be assessed by the journal’s editorial team along with input from relevant subject-matter reviewers, and a grantee will be selected by 30 April 2026, with a view to a project start no later than 1 June 2026, with a maximum 8-month duration.

Proposals should be submitted, with the subject “Podcast Grant Proposal – (lead submitter surname)” to admin@urbanstudiesjournal.com

Queries are welcome to Prof Michele Acuto, Editor-in-Chief, at michele.acuto@urbanstudiesjournal.com