In this edition of Books of the Month, we're thinking about our built environment and the questions that might help us build better cities in the future. These scholars not only point out what isn’t working in our communities and current infrastructure, they highlight potential solutions – some based on real world examples while others have only been imagined.

Based on decades of experience in rapidly changing Nairobi, No Place Like Home in a New City traverses rivers, cemeteries, parks, railways, housing estates, roads, and dancehalls to explore how policies of anti-urbanism manifest across time and space, shaping how people live in Nairobi.

Associate Professor Bettina Ng’weno, Department of African American and African Studies, has been honored with this year's Distinguished Graduate and Postdoctoral Mentorship Award from UC Davis Graduate Studies and the Graduate Council. This award shines a light on the power of mentorship in shaping the academic and professional journeys of UC Davis graduate students and postdoctoral scholars.