Alejandro De Coss
@alejandrodecoss.bsky.social
Urban ethnographer: water, infrastructure and labour in Mexico City.
Lecturer in Urban Geography @ The University of Edinburgh
Lecturer in Urban Geography @ The University of Edinburgh
Good to see Scotland beginning to grapple with the question of land reform a mere 100 years later than Mexico.
November 6, 2025 at 10:06 PM
Good to see Scotland beginning to grapple with the question of land reform a mere 100 years later than Mexico.
Reposted by Alejandro De Coss
Call for Papers 📢
Excited to announce our panel at the @pollenetwork.bsky.social Conference (Barcelona, June 29 - July 3, 2026): "Cities, Urban Metabolism and the Polycrisis." 🏙️
If you work on urban metabolism or critical studies of cities & infrastructure, we want your contribution!
🧵👇
Excited to announce our panel at the @pollenetwork.bsky.social Conference (Barcelona, June 29 - July 3, 2026): "Cities, Urban Metabolism and the Polycrisis." 🏙️
If you work on urban metabolism or critical studies of cities & infrastructure, we want your contribution!
🧵👇
November 4, 2025 at 1:24 PM
Call for Papers 📢
Excited to announce our panel at the @pollenetwork.bsky.social Conference (Barcelona, June 29 - July 3, 2026): "Cities, Urban Metabolism and the Polycrisis." 🏙️
If you work on urban metabolism or critical studies of cities & infrastructure, we want your contribution!
🧵👇
Excited to announce our panel at the @pollenetwork.bsky.social Conference (Barcelona, June 29 - July 3, 2026): "Cities, Urban Metabolism and the Polycrisis." 🏙️
If you work on urban metabolism or critical studies of cities & infrastructure, we want your contribution!
🧵👇
Next Wednesday, 5 November, I will be giving a talk on my research in Mexico City at the Centre for Sustainable Development Studies, University of Amsterdam.
I am really looking forward to it, and very happy to have Maria Kaika and Rutgerd Boelens as commenters.
I am really looking forward to it, and very happy to have Maria Kaika and Rutgerd Boelens as commenters.
October 31, 2025 at 2:34 PM
Next Wednesday, 5 November, I will be giving a talk on my research in Mexico City at the Centre for Sustainable Development Studies, University of Amsterdam.
I am really looking forward to it, and very happy to have Maria Kaika and Rutgerd Boelens as commenters.
I am really looking forward to it, and very happy to have Maria Kaika and Rutgerd Boelens as commenters.
Reposted by Alejandro De Coss
This will be a long thread on yesterday police massacre in Rio.
In nothern Rio de Janeiro city, there is a couple of hills called Complexo da Penha. It's Comando Vermelho("Red Command", a drug gang), or CV, territory.
CV is the greatest gang in Rio, second in the whole Brazil.
+
In nothern Rio de Janeiro city, there is a couple of hills called Complexo da Penha. It's Comando Vermelho("Red Command", a drug gang), or CV, territory.
CV is the greatest gang in Rio, second in the whole Brazil.
+
🧵 Awful awful massacre in Brazil
Gente, é o maior massacre no Brasil desde o Araguaia. Entendo quem quer puxar pra Canudos ou Contestado ou etc, mas não podemos livrar a ditadura de 64 só porque ela escondia melhor seus corpos.
Morreram 41 guerrilheiros comunistas e mais de 1200 camponeses no Araguaia.
Morreram 41 guerrilheiros comunistas e mais de 1200 camponeses no Araguaia.
October 29, 2025 at 11:52 PM
This will be a long thread on yesterday police massacre in Rio.
In nothern Rio de Janeiro city, there is a couple of hills called Complexo da Penha. It's Comando Vermelho("Red Command", a drug gang), or CV, territory.
CV is the greatest gang in Rio, second in the whole Brazil.
+
In nothern Rio de Janeiro city, there is a couple of hills called Complexo da Penha. It's Comando Vermelho("Red Command", a drug gang), or CV, territory.
CV is the greatest gang in Rio, second in the whole Brazil.
+
En 10 minutos estaré presentando el libro "Infraestructuras Abismales. Comunidades energéticas en la mantención, reparación, mejora o abandono", editado por Gloria Baigorrotegui.
El evento está disponible en vivo acá: www.youtube.com/live/C9Q56TG... y acá: www.instagram.com/p/DQXmitOCc2S/
El evento está disponible en vivo acá: www.youtube.com/live/C9Q56TG... y acá: www.instagram.com/p/DQXmitOCc2S/
October 30, 2025 at 8:56 PM
En 10 minutos estaré presentando el libro "Infraestructuras Abismales. Comunidades energéticas en la mantención, reparación, mejora o abandono", editado por Gloria Baigorrotegui.
El evento está disponible en vivo acá: www.youtube.com/live/C9Q56TG... y acá: www.instagram.com/p/DQXmitOCc2S/
El evento está disponible en vivo acá: www.youtube.com/live/C9Q56TG... y acá: www.instagram.com/p/DQXmitOCc2S/
Reposted by Alejandro De Coss
'The real dereliction is that needless austerity and turmoil has replaced the kind of sober long-term financial planning and strategy that the university needs.'
Excellent writing on completely unsubstantiated redundancies from the folks at @ucuedinburgh.bsky.social ✊
Excellent writing on completely unsubstantiated redundancies from the folks at @ucuedinburgh.bsky.social ✊
The Academic Contribution Framework: a flawed, discriminatory response to a failure of management’s making — UCU Edinburgh
The ACF is the mechanism by which management will size up workers for redundancy targets that we already know are arbitrary. The ACF is obviously bad. It will be personally devastating for many collea...
www.ucuedinburgh.org.uk
October 30, 2025 at 11:37 AM
'The real dereliction is that needless austerity and turmoil has replaced the kind of sober long-term financial planning and strategy that the university needs.'
Excellent writing on completely unsubstantiated redundancies from the folks at @ucuedinburgh.bsky.social ✊
Excellent writing on completely unsubstantiated redundancies from the folks at @ucuedinburgh.bsky.social ✊
Reposted by Alejandro De Coss
This is a deeply shocking attack on a leading political ecology scholar. Please sign in support of Farhana Sultana below
As an alumni of Syracuse University, it's appalling that they are capitulating against a right-wing campaign against Professor Farhana Sultana for exercising her first amendment rights. Do consider signing this letter calling on Syracuse University to reinstate her docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...
Letter of Support for Professor Farhana Sultana
As scholars within and beyond academia, we write in solidarity with academic freedom of expression with our colleague, Dr. Farhana Sultana, an internationally recognized scholar and tenured Full Profe...
docs.google.com
October 30, 2025 at 7:35 AM
This is a deeply shocking attack on a leading political ecology scholar. Please sign in support of Farhana Sultana below
Reposted by Alejandro De Coss
🚨 Fully funded PhD opportunity with me and Richard Hodgkins at @lborogeog.bsky.social. Please reach out with any questions, and do share widely!
Storyline approaches to regional flood risk: making climate change relatable. | Postgraduate study | Loughborough University
This project aims to bring together evidence from climate projections, risk assessment and observations to develop and evaluate event-based storylines based on recent flooding in Leicestershire, UK.
www.lboro.ac.uk
October 29, 2025 at 1:30 PM
🚨 Fully funded PhD opportunity with me and Richard Hodgkins at @lborogeog.bsky.social. Please reach out with any questions, and do share widely!
Reposted by Alejandro De Coss
Just in case anyone is listening, please note that UK universities cannot operate successfully on the basis of continuous reduction of academic staff and academic staff pay. No amount of staff wellness sessions will change this.
October 29, 2025 at 9:04 AM
Just in case anyone is listening, please note that UK universities cannot operate successfully on the basis of continuous reduction of academic staff and academic staff pay. No amount of staff wellness sessions will change this.
Reposted by Alejandro De Coss
One of the biggest layoffs in Amazon’s history—14,000 jobs gone.
They’re blaming “AI efficiency,” calling it the most transformative tech since the internet.
Translation: the machines are here, and they’re coming for middle-class jobs next. Maybe now people will start paying attention.
They’re blaming “AI efficiency,” calling it the most transformative tech since the internet.
Translation: the machines are here, and they’re coming for middle-class jobs next. Maybe now people will start paying attention.
October 28, 2025 at 5:56 PM
One of the biggest layoffs in Amazon’s history—14,000 jobs gone.
They’re blaming “AI efficiency,” calling it the most transformative tech since the internet.
Translation: the machines are here, and they’re coming for middle-class jobs next. Maybe now people will start paying attention.
They’re blaming “AI efficiency,” calling it the most transformative tech since the internet.
Translation: the machines are here, and they’re coming for middle-class jobs next. Maybe now people will start paying attention.
Reposted by Alejandro De Coss
Something new to read as Hurricane Melissa promises another 'unprecedented' and profoundly devastating storm season.
With @alejandrodecoss.bsky.social for @urbangeography.bsky.social 🙏🏻
With @alejandrodecoss.bsky.social for @urbangeography.bsky.social 🙏🏻
October 27, 2025 at 2:47 PM
Something new to read as Hurricane Melissa promises another 'unprecedented' and profoundly devastating storm season.
With @alejandrodecoss.bsky.social for @urbangeography.bsky.social 🙏🏻
With @alejandrodecoss.bsky.social for @urbangeography.bsky.social 🙏🏻
Reposted by Alejandro De Coss
Very excited to see this out!
Amid the many pressures of modern academia, it is rare to have time to think creatively and critically. That makes particularly happy to share this intervention that aims to rethink the Urban South, co-written with and led by with the brilliant @beki.bsky.social: www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
Rethinking the urban South? Centering “unprecedented” risk and repair
As the climate crisis intensifies, those least responsible for its root causes are disproportionately affected by disaster, where loss and damage are the presumptive endpoints of unmitigated ecolog...
www.tandfonline.com
October 21, 2025 at 1:08 PM
Very excited to see this out!
Amid the many pressures of modern academia, it is rare to have time to think creatively and critically. That makes particularly happy to share this intervention that aims to rethink the Urban South, co-written with and led by with the brilliant @beki.bsky.social: www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
Rethinking the urban South? Centering “unprecedented” risk and repair
As the climate crisis intensifies, those least responsible for its root causes are disproportionately affected by disaster, where loss and damage are the presumptive endpoints of unmitigated ecolog...
www.tandfonline.com
October 21, 2025 at 11:49 AM
Amid the many pressures of modern academia, it is rare to have time to think creatively and critically. That makes particularly happy to share this intervention that aims to rethink the Urban South, co-written with and led by with the brilliant @beki.bsky.social: www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
Reposted by Alejandro De Coss
A must-read ftom economist Servaas Storm... www.ineteconomics.org/perspectives...
The AI Bubble and the U.S. Economy: How Long Do “Hallucinations” Last?
This paper argues that (i) we have reached “peak GenAI” in terms of current Large Language Models (LLMs); scaling (building more data centers and using more chips) will not take us further to the goal...
www.ineteconomics.org
October 6, 2025 at 4:49 PM
A must-read ftom economist Servaas Storm... www.ineteconomics.org/perspectives...
Reposted by Alejandro De Coss
So many Australian colleagues put through a year of worries and uncertainty. All because Nous Consultancy only thrives on a scarcity narrative?
Bit if a reminder that those cuts can never be justified in pedagogical or academic term, whatever the spin.
Bit if a reminder that those cuts can never be justified in pedagogical or academic term, whatever the spin.
New analysis by The Australia Institute finds the Australian National University has a $90 million surplus, not a $142 million deficit!
The ANU’s hidden $90m budget surplus
New analysis by The Australia Institute reveals there is no financial crisis at the Australian National University.
australiainstitute.org.au
October 7, 2025 at 7:36 AM
So many Australian colleagues put through a year of worries and uncertainty. All because Nous Consultancy only thrives on a scarcity narrative?
Bit if a reminder that those cuts can never be justified in pedagogical or academic term, whatever the spin.
Bit if a reminder that those cuts can never be justified in pedagogical or academic term, whatever the spin.
Reposted by Alejandro De Coss
just because you have a freedom "doesn't mean you have to use it at every moment of every day"
Just roll that sentence around your mental palate and taste the underlying logic
Just roll that sentence around your mental palate and taste the underlying logic
October 5, 2025 at 8:45 AM
just because you have a freedom "doesn't mean you have to use it at every moment of every day"
Just roll that sentence around your mental palate and taste the underlying logic
Just roll that sentence around your mental palate and taste the underlying logic
Reposted by Alejandro De Coss
Men in balaclavas set fire to a mosque in East Sussex last night. It's only appearing on the BBC's local coverage, rather than its main national headlines, despite coming just a week after the (also under-reported) firebombing of an asylum hotel in London last week
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Peacehaven: Fire at East Sussex mosque probed as 'hate crime'
Video appears to show two people in balaclavas at the mosque before a large blaze spreads.
www.bbc.co.uk
October 5, 2025 at 8:19 AM
Men in balaclavas set fire to a mosque in East Sussex last night. It's only appearing on the BBC's local coverage, rather than its main national headlines, despite coming just a week after the (also under-reported) firebombing of an asylum hotel in London last week
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Reposted by Alejandro De Coss
“Cumulative disruption”
A new word for those who want to create compliant genocide applauders and arrest genocide protesters
This won’t be used on roundabout painters as roundabout painters are some how doing things in a “British” way. Whatever that is
Who needs Reform when we already have Labour
A new word for those who want to create compliant genocide applauders and arrest genocide protesters
This won’t be used on roundabout painters as roundabout painters are some how doing things in a “British” way. Whatever that is
Who needs Reform when we already have Labour
The Home Secretary in a govt that supports, arms & militarily assists Israel as it commits genocide defends plans to restrict protests in the UK against Israels genocide & our govts complicity in it.
October 5, 2025 at 8:37 AM
“Cumulative disruption”
A new word for those who want to create compliant genocide applauders and arrest genocide protesters
This won’t be used on roundabout painters as roundabout painters are some how doing things in a “British” way. Whatever that is
Who needs Reform when we already have Labour
A new word for those who want to create compliant genocide applauders and arrest genocide protesters
This won’t be used on roundabout painters as roundabout painters are some how doing things in a “British” way. Whatever that is
Who needs Reform when we already have Labour
Reposted by Alejandro De Coss
Reposted by Alejandro De Coss
@zackpolanski.bsky.social is asked about the Home Secretarys comments that yesterdays protests about Israels actions were dishonourable (she also said they were unBritish).
Zack is spot on.
Zack is spot on.
October 3, 2025 at 8:08 AM
@zackpolanski.bsky.social is asked about the Home Secretarys comments that yesterdays protests about Israels actions were dishonourable (she also said they were unBritish).
Zack is spot on.
Zack is spot on.
The "party of division" wants to deport me; the "party of decency" wants to make it unbearable for me to stay here. Two sides of the same coin.
October 2, 2025 at 12:48 PM
The "party of division" wants to deport me; the "party of decency" wants to make it unbearable for me to stay here. Two sides of the same coin.
Reposted by Alejandro De Coss
Mandatory unpaid work to be done by The Other, is it?
"Migrants will have to carry out community work or volunteering to qualify to permanently remain in the UK, according to the Home Secretary." [Telegraph]
September 28, 2025 at 12:22 PM
Mandatory unpaid work to be done by The Other, is it?
Reposted by Alejandro De Coss
This is appalling as expected from a strategically, politically and ethically bankrupt Labour leadership
All Starmer offers is a slightly less extreme version of the far right which only ends up normalising its discourse, allowing it to set the agenda
All Starmer offers is a slightly less extreme version of the far right which only ends up normalising its discourse, allowing it to set the agenda
“The belief that uncontrolled legal migration was nothing but good news for an economy should never have been accepted on the Left,” writes Starmer “fighting” populism. What does even mean “uncontrolled” in the case of legal migration? www.telegraph.co.uk/gift/f9444c6...
The Left ignored immigration fears for too long. It’s time to give communities back control
Only a plan for patriotic national renewal led by Labour will counter the rise of the populist Right
www.telegraph.co.uk
September 26, 2025 at 7:09 AM
This is appalling as expected from a strategically, politically and ethically bankrupt Labour leadership
All Starmer offers is a slightly less extreme version of the far right which only ends up normalising its discourse, allowing it to set the agenda
All Starmer offers is a slightly less extreme version of the far right which only ends up normalising its discourse, allowing it to set the agenda
Reposted by Alejandro De Coss
Update from the flotilla
September 24, 2025 at 12:30 AM
Update from the flotilla
Reposted by Alejandro De Coss
Explosions and drones targeting Gaza aid flotilla boats, activists say
Explosions and drones targeting Gaza aid flotilla boats, activists say
The Global Sumud Flotilla said they would ‘not be intimidated’, after third report of drone attacks this month
Organisers of a Gaza-bound flotilla carrying aid and pro-Palestinian activists have reported explosions and multiple drones that targeted some of their boats, currently situated near Greece.
“Multiple drones, unidentified objects dropped, communications jammed and explosions heard from a number of boats,” the Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF) said in a statement. “We are witnessing these psychological operations first-hand, right now, but we will not be intimidated.” Continue reading...
www.theguardian.com
September 24, 2025 at 12:53 AM
Explosions and drones targeting Gaza aid flotilla boats, activists say